


Retrouvailles

by dudeandduchess



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angry Sex, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Drama, F/M, Fingering, Fluff, Hair Pulling, Hate to Love, Internal Conflict, Jealousy, Masturbation, Miscarriage, Revenge, Romance, Semi-Public Sex, Smut, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unrequited Love, mature themes, so much drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-08-10 02:01:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 43
Words: 98,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16461320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dudeandduchess/pseuds/dudeandduchess
Summary: retrouvailles (French)/ʀətʀuvɑj/noun [ feminine, plural ]The feeling of happiness after meeting again after a long time.She was raised to believe that her future marriage was one that was fated, until she met him— the one and only Kuroo Tetsurō. She loved him, he hated her, and he reminded her every single day until she just gave up on him— on them— or did she, really?





	1. Hell Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello, hello! Welcome to my newest story. It's very nice to be back after quite a long time. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please tell me if I should continue with this or just scrap the idea altogether. Also, everything will be explained in future chapters, if people like the story enough, it seems ominous now, but trust me, it's gonna be fuuuun.

_Darkness._

That was all there was in her mind; it was all-consuming, swallowing her mortality and slowly chipping away at the brittle fragments of her conscious. She could see everything that was going on around her— the things happening on her side of the green curtain that the doctors had put up in the rare occurrence that she _did_ wake up.

Music was playing in the background, and she felt appalled. How could they treat her case so casually, as if she wasn’t giving up a big part of her carefully planned future? She tried to open her mouth to make a sound, to let the five doctors know that she was awake and she could feel them rummaging around inside her abdomen.

She tried waving at them, but she couldn’t feel her hands; making her turn her head—albeit very slowly—to the left, only to see that her outstretched arm was strapped down to the operating table. One of the doctors—Doctor Hasegawa, her anaesthesiologist for the procedure—looked up from his clasped hands only to have shock mirrored in his eyes.

Slowly, he got up from his chair in the corner and smiled softly at his patient. “Go back to sleep, (y/n). I’ll increase the dosage, okay?”

(Y/n) nodded her head, or so she thought; maybe it was just her eyes getting heavy and playing tricks on her dazed mind. She tried to fight the drowsiness trying to pull her under, and succeeded— but only for a mere few seconds— granting her a glimpse at the nurse that was controlling her oxygen intake.

And then, she could see familiar golden irises staring into her very soul; the same eyes that belonged to the person that hated her the most.

“I love you,” a deep timbre reverberated in her semi-conscious mind, so she knew that it was a dream, but she had no way to stop it as she was being pulled down deeper and deeper; back into the memory of Kuroo Tetsurō telling her just exactly how he felt. “You’ll never hear those words coming from me, (y/n), because I despise you.”

 

***

 

Going out seemed to be such a good idea half an hour ago, when she felt like the last three weeks weren’t even real; when her scar didn’t ache and her right hip didn’t burn from where the doctors had taken the tumor, as well as her right ovary, out.

In her mind, it didn’t sound serious at first, until it was made clear to her that she had a very slim chance of having children with her remaining ovary; with its complications, it was a miracle that her main doctor agreed to let it stay, if only to give her even a sliver of hope of making her planned future come true, with the man that she had been vetted all her life to be the best wife for: Kuroo Tetsurō.

(Y/n) winced in pain, stopping by the side of the road and leaning her shoulder against one of the fences that lined the streets. “I… _aiya_ ,” she muttered breathlessly, reaching into her little purse to take her phone out and call for help, when the loud guffaw of teenage boys from behind her caught her attention. She lived close to school, so she hoped that it was people that she didn’t know.

“ _Ne,_ Kenma, aren’t you getting tired of playing that game all day?”

Her eyes widened, and her heart felt like it had stopped beating in her chest at the familiar voice; it was in a completely different tone than what she usually received, but she knew that it was _him_. And now, she clutched her phone tighter in her hands and looked down at the screen, trying to make herself seem smaller, as if that would help her hide from him.

Breath suspended, she pursed her lips and prayed to all the gods that—by some miracle—he wouldn’t see her; not in this condition, and preferably never again, if only to keep her heart from breaking even more than it already was.

“No. Maybe I’ll get it in thirty more-” Kenma answered in his usual stoic manner, only to stop mid-sentence when he saw a woman leaning against the wall, slightly hunched over as if wanting to cradle herself. The woman’s hair went down to her waist in a loose braid, and as he stared longer at the lady, the more that he recognized her. He whispered her name, and he felt his friend stiffen up from where he stood beside him. “(Y/n).”

Slowly, (y/n) turned around, careful not to agitate her scar too much. Reluctantly, she looked up and offered ~~her fia-~~ Kuroo’s best friend a small smile. “Hello, Kenma. Tetsurō.”

Kenma opened his mouth to answer (y/n), but Kuroo interjected, rather coldly, “What are you doing here, (L/n)? Shouldn’t you be at home?”

“I- uh- I… was taking a walk, Tetsurō,” (Y/n) whispered, her voice almost inaudible, as her eyes darted over to meet those golden irises that she had grown up loving. “But…”

“But what?” Kuroo asked in a clipped tone. He met her gaze head-on and raised his eyebrows at her to intimidate her; it worked, since her gaze flickered away for a few seconds before reconnecting with his own.

In the thick silence as he waited for her to answer, he took the time to study her. She looked awful: her skin was pale, her face was slightly gaunt, she had dark circles under her eyes, and the corners of said eyes were tight… with pain. His hands twitched at his sides, and he clenched them tightly, as if to ground himself once more— to make him remember that she didn’t deserve his pity or his sympathy.

(Y/n) trapped her bottom lip between her teeth, and looked down at her hands that were clenched so tightly around her phone that her knuckles were starting to turn white. Incidentally, her screen came to life when she pressed one of the side buttons on her phone, and it showed her the pitiful wallpaper that she’d optimistically set three years ago, hoping that her so-called _‘fated marriage’_ would work out; it was of her and the raven-haired man in front of her, from when they made the engagement official.

She remembered smiling for the photo, and not feeling the genuine happiness that she was trying to let their families see; (y/n)’s eyes stung with unshed tears as she recalled the moments before the picture very clearly— it wasn’t something that she wanted to remember, but it was inevitable, as it was the moment that the rose-colored glasses came off.

_I despise you._

_I’m only doing this for my grandparents, not for you— never for you._

Her jaw tightened, and her eyes narrowed into angry slits—anger at herself, or anger towards Tetsurō, she didn’t know—before she steeled herself and looked back at the gaze that she loved and _hated_ at the same time.

The raven-haired captain scoffed as he quirked an eyebrow at the woman before him, admiring her sudden show of emotion other than false admiration and fake happiness. Kenma, however, was stuck looking back and forth between his best friend and his… friend.

“But what, (L/n)?” Kuroo asked, mirth biting his tone, mocking (y/n)’s silence. “Cat got your tongue?”

She tried to reign it in, to at least remain _civil_ with him in case she saw him around school when she returned, but she couldn’t hold it back… not anymore, not after all the hateful and hurtful things that he’d said to her over the years. “No, Tetsurō, I was thinking of whether I should lower myself to your level and answer. But no, not really, I still want to retain what humanity I have left." 

With that, she walked off, her head held high and her back as straight as she could get it without hurting herself, leaving Kuroo and Kenma reeling over what had just occurred. 

Once she was far enough, she turned the corner to get on the path to her house, but rested her back against a warm, concrete wall, breathing heavily as she placed a shaky hand on top of where her scar was. She didn’t know where all her courage had come from, but she relished in the feeling of leaving her fiancé stupefied, and she craved more for this feeling.

Her mind reeled with so many possibilities, but one thought stood out from the rest: _you should always fight fire with hell fire_.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, you're here at the end, which means you read the whole thing. Thank you so much! I would love it so much if you guys left a review, as it tells me what I can improve on. Ah, if you're a past reader, then I am soooo sorry for going away. I had to move to the US last year for a job, and now I'm back home, and resting before I move again. xx


	2. Changes

“How long is it going to take you to shower, (y/n)?”

Aforementioned girl was snapped out of her reverie by her older brother’s voice from outside the bathroom, making her step out from under the water and turn the shower off. She gingerly took the towel that she hung just outside the glass stall, and dried her abdomen, being careful not to jostle her scar so much; it wasn’t that it was still fresh, she just had become so used to being careful with it that it was difficult to adjust to her old habits and motions, but in time… all in time. 

“(Y/n)? Are you alright?” Her brother asked again, knocking on the door this time. “You didn’t slip and fall, did you?”

The (h/c) girl smiled softly, shaking her head at her brother’s mother hen instincts; she couldn’t believe that this was the same brother that used to take her dolls and tie them to the goats at their grandparents’ farm up in Miyagi. “I’m fine, _nii-chan_.”

“Oh good, I thought you died in there. Hurry up, I still have an hour drive to get to _Todai_ , I don’t want to hear Mitsuki going ‘ _Ne,_ Haruichi, you’re late again.’ I think I’ll have to punch him this time,” Haruichi (L/n) went on a lighthearted rant, forcing his tone to be mirthful to keep his sister from feeling any sort of guilt, since he had to move back to his parents’ home to keep an eye on her while their parents were busy; it was only a temporary arrangement, and today was his last day of looking after her. He had to admit that it was a hassle, especially when she had to stay in the hospital for a week after her surgery.

(Y/n) pursed her lips, biting back an apology, because she knew that it would upset her brother to see that she felt guilty for making him drop his life at university to care for her for two months. Softly, forcing herself to sound slightly annoyed like her normal self would, she answered, “Perfection takes time, _nii-chan_. You can tell Mitsuki- _kun_ that he’s not the most punctual person either.”

“Hurry up, (y/n)!”

“Give me five minutes!”

 

***

 

Five minutes turned into thirty, and Haruichi could only shake his head during the drive to Nekoma, while his sister fidgeted with her seatbelt nervously. He could only guess how hard it was for her to be going back to school after being gone for two months; of course, she did all her course work at home, and she had tutors twice a week to teach her what she was missing in class, but to be around so many people again after so long in isolation? He could only imagine how she felt. “Nervous?”

“More than nervous,” (y/n) answered, licking her suddenly dry lips. “What if everyone ignores me? Or worse, treats me differently?”

“Well…” Truthfully, Haruichi didn’t know what to say, but he saw that his sister was looking to him for comfort, so he decided to wing it, even if it what he said sounded like bullshit in his mind. “They’re gonna treat you more carefully, that’s for sure; but you still have Yuri- _chan_ , right?”

“Yuri’s our cousin, she’s supposed to be my friend,” the (h/c) haired girl pouted, letting go of her seatbelt when she saw the school gates coming up. She unbuckled herself, and added, “But I guess she still counts.”

Haruichi chuckled, pulling over and setting the car in park so he could reach over and put a hand on top on his sister’s head. “And Kuroo, you have him as well.”

 _I despise you_.

Her breath caught in her throat and her heart started beating rapidly in her chest, but this time, instead of a chill running through her, it was heat— anger, barely-contained rage— running through her veins at the sound of his name. She clenched her hands into tight fists in her lap, and looked down at them to keep her brother from seeing the hateful expression on her face.

“ _H-hai_ , _nii-chan_ ,”she muttered through a tight jaw, reaching down to get her bag and stepping out of the car. She leaned down to smile at her brother, “Thank you, _nii-chan_ , drive safe.”

With that, (y/n) closed the door and walked off, leaving her brother confused and slightly guilty at his actions. He knew how his sister really felt about her impending marriage to the volleyball captain, but he was still optimistic that Kuroo would change his mind about (y/n); his sister only had to wait until he did, and it would make things bearable for her in the future— she just had to keep holding on right now.

Once (y/n) was inside the campus, she immediately started gathering stares, not because she was gone for so long, but because of the loud chorus of ‘Welcome back, (y/n)’ that reverberated within the whole school.

“What exactly…” she whispered softly, truly at a loss as she stared in shock at all the members of the literature club (that secretly doubled as a video gaming club). Eventually, the shock set in and she beamed at everyone. “ _Arigatou gozaimasu, mina-san_. It feels nice to be back.”

Striking purple hair peered out from behind the throng of literature club members, and her cousin Yuri stepped forward to hug (y/n). “Ah, I missed you, (y/n)!”

(Y/n) rolled her eyes, and gently pushed Yuri away with a giggle. “You just saw me last night, _baka_. Was this your ‘urgent matter’ this morning, _ne_?”

Sheepishly, the shorter girl nodded her head. “I mean, everyone missed the vice president of the club as well, so it wasn’t just me who planned this.”

(Y/n) highly doubted it, but didn’t push the matter as she got bombarded by people who wanted to talk to her, effectively putting her anger on the backburner— gone from her immediate thoughts, but still simmering on the outskirts of her mind.

 

***

 

The sound of collective laughter made him look up as he was entering the gates, and the big group at the middle of the grounds piqued his curiosity, so he slowed down his walk to a saunter as he lingered closer to the circle of people, trying to look for who or what had caused the gathering. “ _Ne_ , Kenma, you think there’s a fight?”

Kenma didn’t look up from his game, but spoke, “I don’t think so.”

“Yeah, you’re right. What could i-” he was cut off mid-sentence when he saw a flash of familiar, long (h/c) hair in the crowd of students. His gait had completely stopped by now, and he stood still as he narrowed his eyes at _her_. He couldn’t explain it, but everytime he saw her, his heart practically stops beating in his chest and he feels warmth pooling in his stomach, mixed emotions that he couldn’t control or even decipher, so he chose anger.

What better emotion to justify his feelings than anger, not only because she was the embodiment of the end of his bachelor days, but also because she was the reason why he couldn’t pursue his volleyball career after this year.

She threw her head back in laughter, eyes closed and expression so carefree that he had to clench his hands to keep himself from going insane. Once she composed herself, she started talking animatedly, making wild hand gestures that the raven-haired captain could only imagine the meaning of, and then she stopped— as if feeling Kuroo’s intent gaze on her face— and turning her head to face him.

He expected her eyes to go dark and her expression to turn downcast, but her face remained impassive as she stared back at him. (Y/n)’s eyes were alive, Kuroo noted to himself, examining her features and comparing what he saw now to the woman that he had seen a few weeks ago.

To his surprise, and irritation, she turned away and simply dismissed him— as if he was nothing more than dirt on her shoe— and it irked him to no end to see her talking once again to whomever she had been talking to before. Before he could stop himself, he was already a few paces away from her, close enough to touch her, but not close enough to overly intimidate her.

“(L/n),” Kuroo called, and (y/n) continued talking to the first year in front of her. “ _Oi_.”

Kuroo called again, this time reaching out and roughly tugging on her sleeve to get her attention. “ _Oi_.”

(Y/n) giggled, then quietly said goodbye to her _kouhai_ before turning to face the tall nuisance behind her. Her face was stony, mild indifference mixed with a bit of contempt coloring her features as she stared into those gold eyes that baited her breath. She felt her resolve starting to chip away as he looked down at her, but she steeled herself and let her anger take the forefront of her emotions. “Please don’t touch me, Kuroo- _san_.”

Kuroo’s eyebrows raised in confusion and surprise; in the past, she always called him by his first name, but what had happened? Not that he cared. “What are you doing here?”

 _Always the same questions with him_ , (y/n) thought to herself, sighing deeply and regarding the tall male with an eye roll. “I also go to school here, or did you forget?”

His eyes widened at the asinine tone that reached his ears, very different from the meek tone that she would have with him. The unusual tone harped at his irritation, and he narrowed his eyes at her in warning; she, however, was having none of his intimidation techniques.

She didn’t know what came over her, stupidity in the heat of the moment or whatever, but she reached out and pretended to brush something off Kuroo’s sweater, placing her fingers deftly against his abdomen and flicking imaginary dust off. “You have a little somet-” she whispered under her breath, almost unintelligible to the raven-haired male, and then she added, “Oh, it’s just your bad attitude. My bad.”

With that, she shot him a fake smile and turned away, walking towards her cousin who was staring at her with shock blazing in her eyes, and they linked arms as they walked off. He, however, looked down at the spot that she touched, trying to ignore the warmth that he felt from the area, and let himself think about why he hated what had happened… and, dare he say it, liked it at the same time.

Maybe he was just too tired from pulling an all-nighter last night, and it was his mind playing tricks on him. Yeah, he chalked it up to just that, he was just tired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my, things are just starting. What ever shall happen? >:) Please leave a review, as they mean a lot. Thank you!


	3. Tension

It was safe to say that (y/n)’s first few days at school were mildly chaotic for her, what with all the stairs that she had to get used to again, and all the badgering that she always received from Yuri to tell her about what had happened with Kuroo on her first day back; which she artfully dodged whenever her cousin brought it up. 

But fate wasn’t so kind to her now, not when Yuri had her cornered in the classroom that they were using for the literature club meeting for the officers. Everyone had already left early since it was Saturday and (y/n) was about to follow suit, when her purple-haired leech of a cousin grabbed on to her wrist and held tight.

“Tell me, (y/n), what was that on Monday?” Yuri pouted, leaning forward so that her face was uncomfortably close to the (h/c) haired girl’s. “We swore to never keep secrets.”

“We were five back then, Yuri,” (y/n) answered, clearly amused at the other girl’s antics. “But if you must know…”

“Yeah!?”

“Butt out of it. We’re on a ‘need to know’ basis right now.”

“That’s not fair, (y/n)!” the shorter girl whined, stomping her feet in a childish manner and swinging her arms in the process, which also jostled her cousin.

(Y/n) raised an eyebrow. “And you told me about Akira- _kun_?”

That shut Yuri up. She immediately ceased her actions and sheepishly brought the tips of her index fingers together. “I was going to tell you about him, but what’s there to tell you now? We’re over.”

Indulgently, (y/n) nodded, picking up the paper bag that she had hung on the side of her table. “See? Now, I still have to stop by the gym.”

“Oh yeah, aunt Mariko’s back from Tokushima. What did she bring for Kuroo- _san_ now?” Yuri asked, eyeing the bag and pursing her lips in distaste; she never really liked Kuroo for her cousin, so she was against the whole arrangement that their grandparents had going with his grandparents.

“Wasanbon and higashi,” the taller girl shrugged, slinging her bag on her shoulder and sauntering out of the classroom. “We have more at home, if you want some.”

“I might just sleep over.”

“But you’re not getting anything out of me.”

“Awwww, but (y/n).”

 

***

 

“Nice kill!” 

She heard the volleyballs ricocheting off the floors, and the shoes squeaking against the laminated wood, and she was also hit by the stuffy heat as she entered the third gym where the volleyball team was practicing with the other schools under Fukurodani group; she couldn’t care less about it, but it was all that everyone had been talking about since Monday. Apparently, this was a big deal because Coach Nekomata had invited the team from Karasuno as well.

Yuri followed behind her, fanning herself with her hand and looking around, not caring about the stares that they were receiving from familiar and fresh faces alike.

“Ah, this is Nekoma’s pride!” Yamamoto’s boisterous voice reverberated off the walls, as he bounded towards the (h/c) haired beauty that was lingering by the doors. “Come, come, Tanaka- _san_.”

(Y/n) couldn’t hold back her smile, as she took a step back from Yamamoto who was about to wrap her in a hug. He ended up hugging the air, and (y/n) laughed even more. “ _Gomen_ , Yamamoto- _kun_ , but you’re all… sweaty.”

Yamamoto pouted, pretending to clutch his chest in heartbreak as he turned to his team from across the room; it appeared that they had just finished a game, based on their expressions as well as the scoreboard. “Captain!” He bellowed, as fake tears rolled down his face. “Your girlfriend has hurt me so!”

Aforementioned ‘girlfriend’ flinched, pursing her lips and looking down at her feet to hide the telltale redness on her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to erase her feelings for Nekoma’s raven-haired captain that was slowly sauntering towards her, but she feared that it was going to take some time; she had spent 18 years believing that they were meant to be together, it wasn’t going to just take a few weeks to erase all traces of those emotions, no matter how much she hated him. Rome wasn’t built in a day, after all.

“What do you want?” Kuroo asked, in a rather cold and clipped tone that made Yuri scoff from where she stood behind her cousin. The middle blocker paid her no mind, solely focusing on (y/n) who lifted her gaze from the floor, up to him. He swallowed thickly when he saw her red cheeks, and her bright (e/c) eyes; her expression was blasé at best, but it was the fire in her eyes that drew him to take a step closer to her.

Suddenly, as if he was hit by a bucket of cold water, he took that step back and shook his head to clear his mind. What was going on with him lately?

“My mother bought these for you and your grandparents,” she answered and handed the ornate paper bag to the tall male in front of her. He looked down at the bag and gingerly took it, carefully avoiding to brush his fingers against her, and failing; Kuroo almost pulled back when he felt the current go through him, and he cursed himself for probably developing too much static during the game. Yes, static.

From the corner of her eye, (y/n) saw Yuri push off the wall and walk towards the restrooms outside the gym, and she turned her head to the side to talk to her when Kuroo spoke, “Wait for me to finish training, I have to personally thank your mother.”

“What for?” (Y/n) sneered, casually rolling her wrist in an effort to brush away the tingling she felt where Kuroo’s fingers brushed against hers, and she took a step back. “And who are you to tell me what to do? I’m going home, Kuroo- _san_.”

With that, (y/n) turned around and sauntered off as confidently as she could, because she saw the anger and irritation so blatantly on his face that the expression chilled her to the bones; she wasn’t scared that he was going to physically hurt her, but scared that he was going to say more hurtful things to her, and no one in their right mind wanted to be so verbally lashed at, especially coming from someone that they loved.

Inside the gym, Kuroo was staring at the door that his fiancée had exited. He tried desperately to reign in his anger, but she had been pushing his buttons too much as of late that this was the tipping point of his already-short patience.

 _Who was he? He was her fiancé, whether she liked it or not, and he had the goddamn right to tell her what to do._ “(Y/n)!”

He marched after her, setting the bag down on the floor as he continued calling after the girl who seemed to have quickened her pace, while the Nekoma club members in the gym were still stuck reeling over what had happened, since it was rare for Nekoma’s captain to lose his temper with (y/n), usually she just left quietly and Kuroo would carry on like normal.

“Kenma, who was that girl with Kuroo- _san_? Is she really Kuroo- _san_ ’s girlfriend?” Karasuno’s orange-haired player, Hinata Shoyō, asked quietly just before taking a sip from his sports bottle.

The blond looked on at the doors and answered, “That was (Y/n). She’s engaged to Kuroo.”

“ _Ha_!? B-but he’s just…” Hinata started tugging at his hair in bewildered confusion, trying to wrap his mind around how an 18 year-old could be engaged at this time and age.

Kenma looked over at his friend and added, “Kuroo doesn’t like telling everyone that he’s engaged, so he always introduces her as his girlfriend, but the whole team knows the truth. Their grandparents have been planning their wedding ever since (y/n) was born.”

 

***

 

“ _Oi_ , (y/n)! Don’t walk away from me!” Kuroo yelled at the girl who was practically speed-walking away from him. He didn’t even know why he was chasing after her, all he knew was that he was pissed at how she was pushing his buttons ever since she came back. What happened to his meek little (L/n)? 

(Y/n) looked behind her to check if Kuroo was gaining on her, and she balked when she saw that he had picked up the speed and was only a few paces away. She was about to break out into a run when she felt herself getting pulled by her wrist.

“I told you to stop,” the raven-haired male ground out between his teeth, glaring down at the short girl before him. “Are you purposely making me mad? For what? Attention?”

(Y/n)’s lips curled in distaste, and she tried to pull away from Kuroo, only to have her other wrist trapped in his hand as well. “Why are you such a misogynistic pig?! You can’t tell me what to do!”

“The hell I can’t. I’m your fiancé, (y/n), or did you forget?”

“How can I forget when I’m reminded of it everytime I so much as hear your name? I… am sick and tired of always letting you step all over me, Tetsurō! I’m tired of this, I’m tired of not saying anything, I’m tired of loving you!” She screamed, trying to pull away from her fiancé to no avail. It was putting strain on her scar, but she couldn’t care less right now, all she wanted was to be as far away from him as possible. “I hate you!”

She opened her mouth to speak again, but she could only remain mute as Kuroo roughly pressed his lips against hers, pulling her closer to him and trying to hold on to her as she flailed her arms. He deepened the kiss, and he felt her starting to melt against him, until she sighed into the kiss and started returning his actions.

He let go of her wrists and put his hands on her waist, smirking against her lips and closing his eyes when she opened her lips to his seeking tongue. His whole body was warm with want, and he knew that he shouldn’t be enjoying this, but he was— immensely— until she pushed him away and pinned him with a hateful glare while she wiped her kiss-swollen lips with the back of her hand.

“And that is why you can never truly hate me…” Kuroo chuckled smugly, regarding her with a mirthful gaze as he gazed at her flushed cheeks and her lust-filled gaze. “You love me too much.”

“Fuck you.” (Y/n) tried to steady her breathing, as she glared at the man in front of her. She wanted to feel sick, but she knew that—deep down— she had always wanted what had just happened to happen between her and Kuroo.

“Gladly. Just tell me where and when, _hime_ - _sama_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, alright, alright. Please don't hit me. I promise it will get better soon. >:)


	4. Cherry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brace yourselves, this chapter gets heavy with the adult themes. You're welcome. Also, I was listening to Lovesick by Banks on repeat while writing this, so listening to that might add to the reading experience.

She couldn’t help it, it was as if her hand was possessed— she reared it back and it met Kuroo’s right cheek with a resound smack that she was sure angered the middle blocker even more. Immediately, she pulled her hand back and cradled it to her chest as she stared back at the man in front of her. 

Anger was a mild term for what Kuroo was feeling right now, it wasn’t close to rage either, so he was left dumbfounded with a stinging cheek as he tried to decipher what to do or say to (y/n). He opened his mouth a couple of times, only to close it, until he decided to let it go with a scoff and a shake of his head. “Go home, (y/n).”

He thought that she was going to argue, and he was thankful that she—with a loathing expression on her face—turned away from him and walked off. It wasn’t until she was gone that he realized he had been so tense, and he let his shoulders drop as he lifted a hand and touched where she had slapped him; he never thought that she would have it in her, but he was wrong… he’d been wrong about so many things about her.

“What did you do to her, you- you pig!?” Yuri’s familiar voice screeched behind Kuroo, making him face her and regard her with an indifferent gaze; she’d called him worse after all.

“None of your business, _chibi_ ,” he answered coolly, biting back more insults as he straightened his shirt out and sauntered away from the purple-haired girl. “What happens between my fiancée and I is **our** business.”

“Go to hell!”  
  
“I’m already there.”

 

***

 

“Kuroo, what happened to your face?” Yaku Morisuke, Nekoma’s libero, asked frantically when the aforementioned walked into their assigned room during the training camp over the weekend. He set down the fancy paper bag, that (y/n) brought him, on his futon and leaned against the stack of chairs behind him. 

Kuroo shrugged, going for indifference, but failing miserably because of the blatant anger coloring his features. He remained silent, letting his gaze flicker from Yaku’s, to Yamamoto’s, to Kenma’s, and to Karasuno’s _chibi-chan_ ; all of them looked back at him, eager to hear his explanation, which made him sigh and cross his arms over his chest before answering, “(Y/n) and I…”

“Did you two break up?!” Yamamoto asked animatedly, an undercurrent of glee livening his tone that had Kuroo glaring at him so intensely that he instantly deflated like a popped balloon.

“Don’t even think about going near (y/n),” the middle blocker warned acidly, pushing off the chairs and walking towards his bag. “Or else.”

“ _Ah_ , I better go, Kenma,” Hinata cut in through the tense silence, gingerly getting up from Kenma’s futon and waving at everyone as he went out of the room.

With that exchange, Kuroo grabbed a change of clothes as well as his other shower necessities before strolling out of the room with one last glare at Yamamoto. He had no idea why he was suddenly so possessive over the (h/c) haired girl that had been pestering him since they were first introduced back when they were children.

Three years ago, when he thought that all the talks of marriage between him and (y/n) were just those—talks, he never would have been thinking about this sort of thing. If his younger self could see him now: reeling over the same girl that he’d reminded time and time again of his hatred for her, he would laugh.

And now he kissed her—more like made out with her—which was the cause of all this… frustration and confusion that he was feeling. “Fucking hell.”

He entered the showers, setting his things down on one of the benches and starting to strip for his shower. Hopefully it would wash his frustrations away.

Once the warm water hit his sore body, a groan slipped from his lips and he closed his eyes to relish in the feeling of it; until, unbidden memories of (y/n) and her lips bombarded his mind— the feeling of her lips on his, her hot tongue playing around with his own, and her ample breasts pressed tightly against his chest. He felt himself getting hard just at the memory of her, and his eyes snapped open when he realized that he was wrapping his hand around his shaft.

He recoiled abruptly, wanting to punch himself for even thinking of doing something so lewd in the school showers, of all places. That girl was going to be the death of him.

With one last look at his erection, he reached out and turned the shower knob all the way to the cold setting, hissing when the ice cold water started washing over his body.

 

***

 

The next few days were quiet for both Kuroo and (y/n), letting both of them get their bearings and put their minds at ease after all that had happened; until the dreaded invitation came: it was from Kuroo’s father, specifically, asking (y/n) and her family to come over for dinner since the raven-haired captain was going away to a two-week training camp in Saitama.

Unfortunately, (Y/n)’s grandparents were back in Miyagi, and her brother was away at university and couldn’t find the time to go home, so it was just her and her parents that were standing in front of the Kuroo residence.

She swallowed thickly, trying to calm her racing heart and restless mind after her mother rang the doorbell. It wasn’t even enough time for her to do one thing, when the door opened and a bored-looking Kuroo Tetsurō greeted them politely and ushered them inside the house. (Y/n) took the time to look him over when she passed by, noting that he looked nice wearing a white v-neck shirt and black jeans that were ripped at the knees; he was walking barefoot, which had (y/n) thinking that he had such pretty feet.

“Tetsurō,” (y/n) greeted quietly, meeting his eyes straight on before looking away when she started noticing how his gaze darken with something she just couldn’t put her finger on, but it made her uneasy, nonetheless.

“So, you’re on a first name basis with me again?” The raven-haired male quipped lightly, closing the door behind his fiancée and making sure to let his chest brush against her arm. She flinched, taking a miniscule step away from him before completely deserting him in the foyer. “Nice talking to you.”

“ _Ah_ , look at how beautiful you are, (y/n)- _chan_ ,” Kuroo’s grandmother, Ayane, sat upright in her seat on the couch and (y/n) smiled gently at her before giving her a hug. From the kitchen, she could hear her parents talking to Tetsurō’s father and grandfather, so she paid them no mind.

“ _Arigatou, baa-chan_ ,” she whispered fondly, then added, “Just look at how pretty **you** are, _baa-chan_. You have to tell me how you keep your skin so smooth.”

With a mischievous glint in her hazel eyes, Ayane answered while pointedly looking back and forth between her grandson and his fiancée, “It’s the sex, I tell you.”

(Y/n) reared back as if she was zapped with a taser, and she started floundering like a fish as she thought of what to say to **that** , all while willing her cheeks to cool down. Kuroo, from behind her, was in a very similar predicament; Suddenly, the elderly woman started laughing, opening her mouth to say something but getting cut off by her son peering into the living room from the kitchen.

“Dinner won’t be ready for another half hour, how about you two go upstairs and play one of your games while you wait?” Mr. Kuroo suggested warmly, not reading the awkward atmosphere in the room while he waved at his future daughter in law. “Hi, (y/n)- _chan_.”

The (h/c)-haired girl waved back, and was about to offer her help in the kitchen when she felt a warm, familiar hand grab her by the wrist and practically drag her up the stairs.

“Come on,” Tetsurō muttered, keeping his face down to hide the burning in his cheeks as he continued pulling her up to his room… where the game console was. He didn’t want to do anything to her, hell no.

Trying to pull her hand back, failing, and getting flashbacks of what had happened a few days ago at school—which had her blood boiling with barely-restrained anger— she dug her slipper-clad feet into the hardwood, to no avail. “Let go of me, Kuroo.”

“Now you’re calling me by my last name. Make up your mind, woman,” Kuroo snapped, getting impatient as he dragged her across the floor. He didn’t even know why he was taking her to his room, maybe because he wanted to talk to her in private or maybe because he just wanted to get out of there and forget what his grandmother said, and taking (y/n) upstairs was a good excuse; he didn’t know.

“I would call you Ass, but that would raise some eyebrows, wouldn’t it?”

Kuroo gritted his teeth, practically shoving his door open, and pulling the short girl in with him, before slamming it closed. “Look, I know you’re mad about what hap-”

“Mad?!” (Y/n) practically screeched. “I’m more than mad; mad doesn’t even begin to cover how I feel! I’m enraged! You assaulted me!”

Kuroo didn’t know what she had said after her screech, since he tuned her out in favor of admiring the way her lips looked so enticing with the lip gloss that she was wearing, he wondered what it would taste like: cherry, mint, or something else, which made him want to beat himself to a pulp because this was (y/n), and she made his blood boil with her meekness, and her tendency to be a push over, and how she was the reason that he couldn’t do what he wanted for his future. He was brought back, however, by her stating that he had assaulted her, which had his ears ringing and his eyes narrowing.

“I specifically remember that you enjoyed that kiss, (y/n). You practically melted against me when I shoved my tongue down your throat.”

Said girl balked, curling her lips as if she tasted something rancid, and answering, “ _Urusai_ , _aho_!”

A smirk started to stretch Kuroo’s lips, and he took a step towards the girl in front of him, which made the smirk stretch up into a sinister grin when she stood her ground and glared at him with so much hatred in her eyes that if he were a lesser man, he’d be dead on the ground by now. “That’s what we’ll be doing after we get married, anyway, so you better learn to be honest with yourself.” 

“ _Urusai_! I can never enjoy being touched by someone like you,” (Y/n) hissed, so much venom in her tone that it actually made Kuroo’s skin crawl; still, he pushed forward until he was standing just a few inches away from the girl who only reached up to his chin. He looked down at her, and reached out to trace her right cheek with the tips of his fingers.

(Y/n) wanted to run so far away to where Kuroo couldn’t touch her, but a bigger part of her didn’t want to back down from his provocation— she didn’t want to prove to him just how weak she was, so she stood still and met his intent gaze as his fingers drifted down her jaw, to the side of her neck, then up into her hair, where he suddenly gripped some strands in his fist and pulled. She let out a quiet whimper, but gave no other indication that she was fazed, even when his other hand settled itself on her waist.

“Are you sure about that, _hime_ - _sama_? Maybe I need to remind you just how good it was?” He didn’t leave her any time to answer, he just slammed his lips against hers, only to become frustrated when her lips remained immobile beneath his. He knew that his old self would be disappointed in him for fraternizing with the enemy, but he couldn’t help it— the sight of her cupid’s bow lips partnered with that look on her face that was reserved especially for him, one that was a mixture of both love and hatred, was too enticing to pass up.

The raven-haired male tried coaxing her lips to move with his, but proved futile when she still stood firm beneath him; so, he took the hand that was on her waist and started snaking it down to her hips, letting his fingers graze over her left butt cheek before slipping up under her shirt and teasing the skin just above the waistband of her skirt; thankfully, it was enough to make her gasp, and he took that as his chance to slip his tongue in her mouth.

No matter how hard she wanted to try shutting Kuroo out, the heady feeling of his tongue brushing against her was enough to coax her into, shamelessly, responding to his kisses. He pulled her into him, and let his hand drift further up her back, resting squarely in the middle of it before gliding back down and eventually snaking beneath the waistband of her skirt. Kuroo toyed with the band of her underwear, and smirked into the kiss when he felt that she was wearing lace. He had quite a few kinks, but what got him going the most was seeing lace on a woman.

He was far beyond the point of hard, and by the time that he had discovered her lace underwear, he was more than hard up for some time in the sheets. Kuroo stepped forward until (y/n)’s back hit a wall, and he let go of her hair to lift her right leg up and wrap it around his waist, which gave him some leeway to rub his jean-clad erection against her.

Moaning into the kiss, (y/n) turned her head to the side and tried to catch her breath, while her fiancé took that chance to trail kisses down her neck and latch on to the base of it, leaving a very obvious mark to remind her in the morning that she belonged to **him**.

Kuroo kept leaving love bites all over her neck, all while practically pounding her into the wall with his dry humping; thank the gods that his house had thick walls, or else they’d have been in trouble already. “You still think,” he whispered breathlessly, “…it wasn’t good?”

At his words, (y/n) felt as if she was doused with cold water, and she struggled against him, only to bite her bottom lip to muffle her moan when he managed to grind against her underwear-clad clit. Even as she answered, he ground into her again, which had her holding on to his shoulders for balance. “ _A-ah_ , I h-hated it.”

Clicking his tongue in irritation, Kuroo removed his right hand from where it was settled on her thigh, and slipped it between them to move her drenched underwear aside and delve into her pussy. The pads of his fingers glided through her slit, stopping at her clit and toying with it, which made (y/n) throw her head back and bite her bottom lip once more to keep her moan in. He chuckled, settling for watching her face as he continued toying with her and making her moan, until her face scrunched up so lewdly as she reached her climax. Smugly, he ran his fingers through her wet folds, teasing her entrance with the tip of his middle finger before he gently pushed it in.

(Y/n) was ashamed at how wanton she was acting; she wanted to tell Kuroo to stop, but another part of her—a bigger and much more dominant part of her—was enjoying it too much; it was just too good. When he stopped pushing his finger inside her, she unabashedly bucked her hips, which made the golden-eyed man in front of her raise an eyebrow in smug inquiry, before he pushed his finger up to the second knuckle and started slowly pumping in and out of her, leaving her breathless.

“M-more, please, T-tetsurō.” 

He was about to oblige with her request, when a knock on the door made them jump and freeze right where they were. “(Y/n)- _chan_ , Tetsurō- _kun_ , dinner’s ready.”

Both of them remained silent for a few seconds, until Kuroo cleared his throat and answered in an even tone that had (y/n) glaring at him, because how come he wasn’t as affected by this as her? It seemed unfair to her that he was unfazed even with his finger inside her and his erection straining against his jeans, while she… she was a hot mess.

“We’ll be right down, _tou-san_.”

With an ‘okay’, Mr. Kuroo walked away from the door and eventually, his footsteps couldn’t be heard anymore, which (y/n) took as her chance to unwrap her right leg from her fiancé’s waist and reach out to pull his hand away from her, only to have him beat her to it. He pulled his middle finger out of (y/n), making sure not to break eye contact with her as he smirked and put the finger up to his lips, putting it into his mouth and sucking her juices off the digit.

Her eyes widened in shock, and her heart started pounding even harder in her chest, as even more warmth tugged at her stomach; that, hands down, had been the sexiest thing that she had seen in her entire life, and she was both amazed and appalled that it was Kuroo who had made her feel so hot and needy all over again with just one simple action.

Taking advantage of her shock, Kuroo leaned down and captured her lips in a brief kiss, pulling away and licking his lips with the smuggest of grins. “ _Hn_ , cherry.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you guys like it? Was it too much? Do you guys want more of these chapters? Comments are very much appreciated, thank you! <3


	5. Bothersome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left a review and a kudos; they make me so happy when I wake up and see them. And they make me want to write even more. I was planning on just easing back into writing, but you guys make me want to go at it like I used to. So, thank you. <3

Standing awkwardly to the side and very unsure of what to do, (y/n) was stuck waiting for cues from Kuroo so that she could do this job that she was involuntarily offered like a sacrificial lamb for. He looked her way once more, smirking at her and beckoning her towards him with his hand. She could only scoff under her breath as she reluctantly walked over to him; she would have stood firm, but didn’t want to make a scene in front of everyone else. _Kami-sama_ forbid she tarnish her reputation just because of her fiancé. 

(Y/n) knew that he was purposely toying with her, with the way he brought his middle finger up to his lips and ran it over his bottom lip. The action didn’t fail to make her quiver with the onslaught of heat that spread throughout her body, but she was having none of him and his teasing right now, no matter how sexy he looked right now. “ _Fuzakeru na_.”

“I’d rather fuck **you** ,” Kuroo whispered so quietly, reaching forward and trailing his index finger over the love bites that she had expertly covered up with concealer. His jaw clenched with irritation at the sight, wanting to erase the makeup from her skin, but knowing that it would cause such a big fight that he would probably end up on top of her; he just came to terms with the fact that he found her defiance and anger so hot, and he added it to his list of kinks.

Not dignifying his retort with a quick remark of her own, she stepped away from him, then asked, “What am I supposed to do here? I don’t even know what a volleyball club manager does.”

“Do whatever you do at your literature club. You’re the vice president, right?”

The (h/c) haired girl scoffed. “Are you stupid? I compile books to read and discuss at the literature club. And you want me to do that here?”

A flush crawled up Kuroo’s neck and settled on his cheeks, and he glared at her as he ground out, “Well, take notes on the team’s games and just fill up our water bottles. You can also help the team out with free practice, or you can help the other managers with meals.”

“ _Mendouksai_ ,” she mumbled under her breath, remembering how her mother had practically shoved her at Kuroo when he mentioned over dinner that they didn’t have a club manager to take care of them during the training camp. She absolutely loathed the self-satisfied smirk that he shot her, before he placed a hand on her thigh under the table, which she proceeded to pinch until he let go.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like the members of the volleyball club or didn’t know them, she knew all of them and was on good terms with everyone, but she had never talked to them for more than a passing conversation, so it would be difficult for her to find someone to teach her the ropes. She could always talk to Kenma, but he only ever started being talkative with her when she started talking about the new games she played or to get advice on the tricky parts of some video games that they were both smitten with.

“Come on, before all the good seats get taken.” With that, Kuroo grabbed her by the wrist and proceeded to pull her towards the bus; it was only a half hour ride, but he thought maybe he could provoke her into making out with him at the back of the bus. He looked back at her, letting his eyes drink in their fill of her, before boarding the bus and casting a greeting to his coach and club adviser on the way to the back of the bus where no other people were seated.

“Why here? Where’s Kenma? Shouldn’t you be sitting with him?”

“Just sit down, (y/n).”

And she did, with a strong sense of foreboding that was screaming at her to choose any other seat, but it was too late, as he sat down beside her— effectively trapping her between himself and the window.

They waited a few more minutes for everyone to board the bus, and once the headcount was complete, they set off for Saitama.

 

***

 

Not even a few minutes into the trip, (y/n) was starting to relax in her seat as she admired the passing scenery, when she felt Kuroo’s warm hand on her thigh. She’d worn a red tracksuit with white trim, as Kuroo had advised her to wear, so she was stumped because it looked as unflattering as ever on her… in her opinion.

“What the fuck are you doing?” (Y/n) hissed under her breath, turning towards the man who was groping her in public, and pushed his hand off of her. “Stop being a pig, Tetsurō.”

“But I want to play with you, (y/n),” the team captain answered so seductively, that she was stunned and flustered with his words long enough for him to grab her by the chin and pull her lips flush against his in a feverish kiss. “No one’s even paying attention to us.”

She hated how she was melting against him, and absolutely loathed herself for not pushing him away like her head was screaming at her to do; instead, she just sat there mutely, staring at his lips and letting her gaze drift up to his golden eyes. Looking at it now, (y/n) could finally decipher what the darkness in Kuroo’s gaze had been as of late, and it scared her so much, yet thrilled her at the same time. It was lust, and gods help her, she was getting a heady sense of pleasure for making him feel that way.

Kuroo was getting impatient, so he just dove back in and captured her lips with his, closing his eyes and letting himself get lost in the way that her lips slowly started moving against his own. Once he was sure enough that she wouldn’t push him away, he let his left hand drift up her torso—lingering on her chest for a moment before letting it snake into her jacket and rest against her side, close enough for his thumb to brush against the side of her left breast. Meanwhile, his right hand settled itself against the nape of her neck, slowly and sensually kneading the kinks out of it, before drifting up into her hair and taking it into a fist. If (y/n) was sure of anything about Kuroo, it was that he liked to pull her hair… and that she loved it. 

Both of them didn’t know how long they had been making out for, but all Kuroo knew was that he was slowly getting addicted to the feeling of having (y/n) playing with his tongue; he knew he was supposed to be more alert with so many people on the bus with them, and he was about to break the kiss to check if everyone was still minding their own business, when his fiancée nipped his bottom lip with her teeth, and all bets were off. He tugged harder at her hair before he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her on to his lap so that she was straddling him.

Breathlessly, the (h/c) haired girl looked around, being thankful that no one was sitting in the seats across the aisle, before cupping Kuroo’s face in her hands and diving back in to taste more of him. When she felt lightheaded, she broke away from the kiss to catch her breath, smiling smugly when she saw that the man beneath her had tried to chase after her lips. She wasn’t one for power plays, but with this man, she would gladly lord her powers over him because it was a heady feeling.

Opening his eyes and looking up at the woman on his lap, Kuroo silently basked in her presence and took the time to memorize her features: her wild eyes, flushed cheeks, and kiss-swollen lips; all of that was because of **him**. He pulled her down to him to claim her lips again, but a telltale gasp made both of them break apart; they sheepishly looked up at the source of the sound and (y/n) let her head fall on Kuroo’s shoulder to hide her shame, and she was also about to climb off of his lap when he anchored her there by putting his hands on her waist.

(Y/n) could only gasp quietly against Kuroo’s ear when she felt his erection rubbing against her through all their clothing, and he chuckled before turning to their intruder.

“ _Ah,_ Yaku- _san_. I can explain.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters may seem like they're nothing more than smut, but they actually give out clues on the things that are to come. Sooo... yeah. >:) Reviews will be extremely loved. Thank you!


	6. Help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh thank you so much for all the reviews! I am, honestly, stoked to be receiving them. I don't want to point out names, but you guys know who you are. xx

Both of them knew that Yaku didn’t buy Kuroo’s bullshit excuse that (y/n) fell while stepping over him to get her bag from the overhead compartment, but the libero let it go, nonetheless. He had no qualms with telling Kuroo off, but (Y/n) was something untouchable— not only because his captain would probably pummel him into dust, but because he felt that she had another side to her: one that was abrasive and terrifying if provoked, and he was having none of that. 

“I came over to ask (Y/n)- _san_ if she wanted some pointers, but you two seem to be busy, so I’ll come back later,” Yaku stammered out, averting his gaze from the couple tangled together before him.

“Thanks, Yaku, but I have it. (Y/n)’s my responsibility, anyway.” With the comment, Kuroo squeezed his fiancée’s left thigh, well away from the libero’s view.

Taking that as a dismissal, Yaku nodded curtly, before walking off with as much dignity as he could muster up. He wasn’t the one who had been caught red handed, but sure felt like he’d felt some form of secondhand embarrassment from (Y/n).

Once (y/n) felt that the coast was clear, she pushed herself away from Kuroo, only to have him pull her down against him so roughly. Slowly, the raven-haired captain started moving his hips, effectively rubbing his erection against (Y/n)’s core, which had her gasping in pleasure and clutching on to his shoulders to anchor herself. “S-stop, Tetsurō.”

Reluctantly, Kuroo stopped his ministrations, scowling as he made a show of removing his hands from his fiancée’s waist and raising them up in surrender. Before he could change his mind, (y/n) slipped off of his lap and deposited herself in her seat, inching as far away as she could from the man beside her.

Mad didn’t even begin to cover how the middle blocker felt— he was frustrated, and so horny, and he wanted nothing more than to make (Y/n) cum all over his dick, but he couldn’t have that. Still, it didn’t mean that he couldn’t tease her to—at least—bring his fiancée’s frustration up to his level.

And so, slowly, he leaned over towards her, pressing his lips to her ear and nipping at the tip of it before whispering, “If it were up to me, you’d already be screaming my name in pleasure, and I’d be balls deep in you right now. 

(Y/n)’s breath caught in her throat, and she tried to block out the images that Kuroo had put in her mind, to no avail. More warmth pooled in her belly, and her slit got even wetter as she imagined Tetsurō above her, pounding into her and bringing her to orgasm. The image was as poisonous as it was addicting, and she shook her head before she latched on to her anger to keep him away. “You disgust me.”

Golden eyes widened, before they narrowed into angry slits, and he roughly bit down on the area beneath (Y/n)’s ear— marking it and then giving it a soothing lick to further taunt her. “You won’t be saying that when I’m fucking you. I can’t wait, _hime-sama_.”

 

***

 

When they got to Shinzen, (y/n) was more than thankful that her torture had finally come to an end. As soon as the bus stopped, she pushed Kuroo’s legs out of her way and practically bolted off of the bus. Everyone stared after her, then swiveled their heads back to the team captain at the very back of the bus, who adopted a look of innocence on his face, even when he knew that it was his fault that (y/n) was mad. “She’s really excited to be here?”

No one bought his excuse, all of the people on the bus—even his coach—knowing that he’d probably done something to get their temporary club manager so mad that she stormed off the bus; after all, Kuroo was the master of provocation.

As coolly as possible, Kuroo sauntered off of the bus after all his team mates, expecting his fiancée to be glaring at him so intensely that his balls would crawl up inside him but, to his complete befuddlement, she was surrounded by the entire team and joking around with them. It seemed that he had missed her little spiel about not knowing anything about being their club manager, based on the tail end of said spiel reaching his ears.

On one hand, he was happy that she was getting along with his team, but on the other hand, he felt a stab of jealousy hit his chest at the sight of her laughing around with other men, even if those people were his friends.

“Yaku- _san_ , can I ask you to help me out? I have no idea what room I’m even staying in,” (Y/n) asked her _senpai_ softly, not missing the way that his gaze flickered from her to something behind her. She had to smother a heavy sigh, as well as an irritated growl, when she felt a familiar arm wrap around her shoulders.

“I told you you’re my responsibility, (y/n). Let’s go get your things sorted out.”

With that, she was pulled away from the team, and she sent them a pleading look to come and help her, but no one even moved an inch; all they could do was wave goodbye to her with apologetic expressions on their faces, save for Kenma who was still engrossed in his game. 

When they were far enough from everyone, (y/n) roughly pushed herself away from the tall man that was holding her so close to him that she was drowning in his scent. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Helping you.” The answer was said so simply that it made (y/n)’s blood boil. She reached out and gave Kuroo a shove, even though it didn’t even faze him.

Sensing the predatory aura around Kuroo after she’d tried to shove him, she stepped back and placed her hands on her hips, gripping tightly to keep her resolve from crumbling when she saw the alluring darkness in his eyes. “You’re not helping me by taking me away from your team. They can teach me what I need to know, while you… you just-”

He cut her off, his tone dripping of smugness that was so sexy on him. She wanted to punch him. “I’m a man with needs, (y/n). And who am I to deny myself when the woman I want to fuck is right in front of me?”

Tense silence reigned over the two of them, as (y/n) silently willed her heart to stop beating so rapidly in her chest. She wondered why she always let him get away with saying those kinds of things to her; he was so unabashed with his words, and it was something that she hated so much about him, but now… when he was saying such filthy words to her… she couldn’t help herself.

No one said anything; they just stood there, gazes clashing against each other, and ready to pounce at each other at the slightest indication from the other that they’d surrendered, but no— no one was surrendering anytime soon.

From a few meters away, another bus pulled up and both of them looked up in curiosity. The doors opened and the first one to get off was Karasuno’s captain— Sawamura Daichi— followed by their vice-captain.

“Kōshi!?” (Y/n) didn’t even try to hide the joy in her voice, practically skipping over towards the grey-haired setter and wrapping her arms around him, which had Kuroo gritting his teeth in irritation as he followed behind his fiancée.

It wasn’t everyday that a pretty girl came running up to Sugawara to hug him, so having just that happen had all of his team mates staring in shock. She seemed familiar to him with her (h/c) colored hair, but when she pulled away and looked up at him, it was only then that he recognized her. “(Y/n)- _chan_!? You’re here at Shinzen! Why?”

“Well, I’m Nekoma’s temporary volleyball club manager,” she explained, still giddy over having met her childhood friend again after two years.

“Temporary? _Ha_?” Suga asked, not paying attention to his teammates who were all craning their necks to get a glimpse at his friend.

“Because I asked her to.” (Y/n) had to roll her eyes at Kuroo’s answer. There certainly wasn’t any ‘asking’ on his part; in fact, no one had **asked** her to be here; it was more like she was forced to be here. But, with Kōshi here now, it didn’t seem so bad. “How do you know my fiancée, Suga- _chan_?”

“Fiancée?!” The question didn’t just come from the setter, but from his whole team. It clearly stumped all of them, save for their orange-haired middle blocker, but the question also stumped said fiancée.

Kuroo had never introduced her to anyone as his fiancée; it was always as his girlfriend, even with his own team, until Yamamoto found out from Kenma and told the others, which forced Kuroo to come clean to his teammates.

Being the first one to recover from the question, (y/n) answered for Kōshi, “I used to spend my summers with my grandparents back in Miyagi, remember? Kōshi lived close to my grandparents’ farm and he would come by to help my grandpa feed the chickens, and we instantly became friends.”

Kuroo couldn’t say anything to that, so he just narrowed his eyes at (y/n) before pinning his gaze on the man beside her. Seeing the two of them standing together so closely sent another pang of jealousy running through him, and try as he might to push the feeling away, he couldn’t quite quell it, so he was stuck wanting to pull (y/n) to his side but not being able to do anything about it; because doing so would result in another fight, and who knew how she would react with so much anger in her system? A little bit of anger was fine at a time, because it resulted in the most erotic and enjoyable make out sessions of his young life… not that there had been many of those to begin with.

“ _Ah_ , (y/n), let me introduce you to the team…” Suga offered graciously, taking the shorter girl’s hand in his own and turning her around to face the rest of Karasuno’s volleyball club.

It took everything in Kuroo not to rip Sugawara’s arm from his body for touching what was **his** ; and he almost did lose it when he saw (y/n) look up at the setter and smile at him so sweetly.

“ _Ne_ , Kōshi, how come I didn’t see you when you came to Nekoma?”

The setter pursed his lips in thought, then shrugged. “I think I went to the bathroom. Yeah, I did go to the bathroom; I remember Hinata being frantic about Kuroo having such a pretty girlfriend when I came back.”

“Pretty? Just pretty?” (Y/n) pouted, wrapping herself around the setter’s right arm and leaning her chin against his shoulder in a childish manner. “Am I not the most beautiful girl in Miyagi anymore?”

Kuroo could only watch as his fiancée acted so happy and carefree with the setter, so unlike how she was when she was with him. His heart felt heavy in his chest, and he lifted a hand to it in an effort to soothe the tightness he felt there. He was, dare he say it, **hurt** by her actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN, DUN, DUN~  
> I know, I know. He has a heart.  
> I'm actually thinking if I should just do a mass post, since I have the next three chapters on the back burner, but I still have to read through them (since I was a spaz and only realized my plot holes when I woke up this morning)  
> Maybe tomorrow. Reviews will be loved. >:D


	7. Poor Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh guys, really, I am loving the reviews. They keep me so motivated to ruin Kuroo and Reader-chan's lives. Lol THANK YOUUUU. <3

Meeting Karasuno’s team members did nothing but good for (y/n); all of them were also very welcoming and friendly like Kōshi, and they were all so very helpful when she told them that she had no idea with how a volleyball club manager did things. They gave her different tips and, most of all, they introduced her to Kiyoko Shimizu— Karasuno’s very own senior volleyball club manager.

She had to admit that she felt intimidated by the other woman at first, but that feeling immediately vanished when the bespectacled girl practically took her under her wing, reasoning that she was also training Yachi Hitoka anyway, so she might as well kill two birds with one stone. 

(Y/n) didn’t want to compare Karasuno to Nekoma, but she couldn’t help but do so. Both teams were very nice to her, but she felt that she could be more herself with Karasuno; maybe it was because her own team had already pinned her down as their captain’s meek ‘girlfriend’, so she wanted to prove to them that she was more than that. And what better time to prove it than now, during this training camp?

The (h/c) haired girl was stuck reeling over her thoughts for a few minutes, letting her pen just rest against the clear, unlined pages of her notebook. The first game was with Ubugawa, and she was scribbling down all the she could; the tactical attacks that she saw the opponent using, as well as jotting down the seemingly nonsensical things that Coach Nekomata was telling her, but she knew where the old man was going with his ramblings: he was teaching her about volleyball.

She wouldn’t lie, she knew more about the sport than most people, because she had studied it when she was younger— all in an effort to make Kuroo like her. Her eyes glanced back and forth between the two teams, but she mostly focused on Kuroo and how he ran the team. He did it with such a gruff yet joking demeanor that was enough to make her hormones sing.

Her eyes never left his figure as he stood in the middle of the court, being rotated to the back for this play, when he stretched his arms above his head—which made his shirt ride up a little bit and expose a sliver of his torso—and her mouth instantly went dry at the sight. Kuroo must have known the effect that he was having on her, because he glanced directly at her and ran his middle finger over his bottom lip; the same finger that had been inside her all those days ago.

“ _Sumimasen_ , Nekomata- _sensei_ ,” (Y/n) mumbled quietly and abruptly stood up from her seat at the bench, before hastening towards the exit. She was halfway there when she sensed all eyes on her; she looked up, and instinctively held her hands out to catch the ball that was heading for her torso.

With a muffled thud, the ball rested squarely in her palms, and she blinked at it before tossing it to Kuroo who had broken from the team to run towards her. He caught the ball effortlessly, and passed it to Yamamoto who could only stare in disbelief at his worried captain. The middle blocker had never stepped off the court to check on anyone without a timeout, so this was a first.

The raven-haired player stopped in front of her, taking her hands into his and examining her red palms. “Are you alright?”

It was so uncharacteristic for Kuroo to play the doting fiancé that she was thrown for another loop as he waited for her answer. “Tetsurō, I’m fine. I used to be on the girls’ basketball team in middle school, so I’m used to it. Get back to the game.”

With that, she shook her hands away from the middle blocker, looking up into his eyes before poking his shoulder with her index and middle finger. He didn’t say anything else, just stared intently into her own eyes as he walked backwards, before turning around and running back into the court.

As if nothing had happened, she continued walking towards the exit, changing into her outside shoes before she strolled off towards the water fountains. And in the silence, she had time to actually dwell on how Kuroo had acted in there, which had her heart beating so fast in her chest that she was afraid it was going to beat through skin and bone and fall out. It really was so unlike him to act like that, so it left her more confused than ever before.

She wanted to hate him because he had hurt her so much through all these years, but there was still that part of her that still loved him, and was growing to love him even more just because he was showing her a completely different side to him that never in her life could she have thought he possessed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all black and white for her; she was stuck in a hazy grey area and she didn’t like it one bit.

 

***

 

When she returned to the gym, the first game was about to come to a close with Nekoma leading by six points, and she took that as her cue to start preparing everyone’s sports bottles and towels. She checked if each bottle was full, and sighed in satisfaction when she found that all her ducks were in a neat row, so she stood a few paces away from coach Nekomata and watched the volley between the two teams.

Kenma tossed the ball to Yamamoto, who slammed it down with confidence on the other team’s court, and the umpire blew his whistle to signal the end of the game. All the players walked off the court, and her own team walked towards her, so she started passing out their labeled bottles while they each took a towel from the neat stack that she’d folded earlier.

“ _Ne_ , (y/n)- _san_ , how did you do that earlier?” Lev, the newest addition to the team, practically gawked at the girl that was way shorter than him. “Even I wouldn’t have been able to catch that.”

(Y/n) grinned, then handed Lev his drink. “I used to play basketball in middle school.”

“ _Ha_!? Really? I thought you didn’t play any sports,” the wing spiker commented idly, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

“Well, I did.”

“ _Eh_? But what happened? Why did you stop playing?” Sō Inuoka, the team’s past wing spiker, piped up from behind the (h/c) haired girl, before taking a sip of his drink.

“Because I got engaged,” she answered nonchalantly, not really sad or resentful that she was forced to quit her beloved sport to focus on someone who didn’t even want to give her the time of the day. “But it’s fine, because I still have the literature club. We also discuss video games, so that also makes us a video gaming club.”

Kuroo’s ears perked up when he heard (y/n)’s answers, and he felt guilt pooling in his stomach with each word that came out of her mouth. He thought that he was the only one who had to give things up just for this engagement, but he didn’t know that she also had to go through the same thing that he was going to do after graduation: quit doing something that he loved and find something much more sensible and stable to keep him occupied.

“What? But giving up something you love? I can’t imagine just dropping volleyball,” Yamamoto butted in the conversation, mildly enraged that someone had to go through that. Then, he turned to Kuroo and asked, clearly affronted, “Will Kuroo- _san_ have to give up volleyball as well?”

Kuroo schooled his features to give nothing away, but his heart felt heavy in his chest, since he’d been dreading this question from the moment he first introduced (y/n) to the team. He was about to open his mouth to speak, but his fiancée cut him to it which, honestly, made him even more nervous.

“He’s not. I mean, if he wants to still pursue it, then he can. I only quit because my parents told me that playing such a… rough sport wasn’t the best option for me.”

The raven-haired captain almost dropped dead on the spot. His head started spinning, then his gaze connected with (y/n)’s intense (e/c) eyes and, for the first time, he felt nothing but wonder towards her. Their families had drilled it into his head that he was going to have to stop with volleyball when he went to university so that he could provide for (y/n) and their future family, which made him hate even (y/n)— as he assumed that it had been her idea all along.

But now, hearing her sincere answer… he felt like such an ass for saying all those hurtful things to her. He wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole to save him from the shame that was eating at his conscience.

The sound of a whistle reverberated throughout the entire gym, which had everyone looking over at the game between Karasuno and Shinzen. The former lost, which made (y/n)’s lips twist with a mix of mirth and disappointment, all while looking over at the other side of the gym.

Kuroo followed where her gaze was focused, and he had to clench his hands into fists to keep himself from punching someone when he saw that she was looking at Sugawara. The grey-haired setter waved at (y/n) all while adopting a funny expression on his face, and she laughed heartily as she waved back.

“Excuse me,” (Y/n) bid softly, her tone giddy as she traipsed over to the doors to wait for the setter to finish their penalty. They all formed a line, and Daichi—their captain—yelled out their starting signal, and all of them dashed up the grassy hill.

Once at the top of the hill, the winded grey-haired setter looked down at his friend and did a peace sign while grinning from ear to ear. Without waiting for his team mates, he walked back down the hill and met (Y/n) right where she was standing by the door.

To his shock, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders even though she was shorter, and laughed. “I remember when we used to run up the hill back at _ojii-san_ ’s. You couldn’t even make it to the top.”

Suga pouted, leaning closer to her and pinching her right cheek. “I thought we weren’t going to talk about that ever again?”

“Ah, I forgot, Kōshi. _Gomen_ , _gomen_.” She tried swatting at his hand, to no avail; until the grey-haired male laughed and let go of her face, in favor of trapping her in his arms to mess her hair up.

Suddenly, a sequence of loud bangs echoed throughout the whole gym; which made people look over to the source, even (Y/n) and Sugawara. The noise happened again, and (Y/n) found that it was Kuroo doing a wall drill— spiking the ball towards the ground so that it would ricochet off the wall and go back to him. His face was scrunched up, brows drawn together, jaw tight, and eyes just blazing with anger. She could only pity the poor soul that dared to cross him; maybe it was Yamamoto- _kun_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major fluff! Who doesn't love fluff, right?  
> But with fluff comes so many more things, right, right?  
> Reviews are extremely loved. >:D xx


	8. Wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY HEY! I'm so stoked to post this, idk why.  
> Thank you for the reviews, kudos, bookmarks, and even just for reading.

The next day at camp was even rougher for everyone, since they all had to get up early after such a long day yesterday. (Y/n) was up earlier than everyone else though, since she had to help the other managers prepare breakfast.

Excited chatter greeted her ears as slowly, all the players started to trickle into the cafeteria. She started handing out utensils to everyone who was in line, until she met up with Kōshi. She greeted him with a hug, which earned a few envious glances, and she beamed. “You guys also have an hour free after breakfast, right? You want to hang out, Kōshi?”

Suga smiled warmly at his childhood friend, nodding animatedly as he accepted the chopsticks that (y/n) was offering him. “Yeah. It would be just like old times, _ne_? Let’s meet up by the first gym, under the tree.”

“Okay. See you,” happily, (y/n) confirmed their schedule, before she moved on to giving the others their utensils as well.

Once she got to where her team was standing in line, she gave all of them utensils of their own, making light conversation as she made her way down the line; until she got to Kuroo, who wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled her into him before pressing his lips to (y/n)’s cheek in a subtle show of possessiveness.

To say that she was surprised would be the understatement of the century. Never in the time that they were engaged had Kuroo been affectionate in public; hell, he never even held her hand when they went out with their families. So, to have him kiss her in front of all these people was enough to fry a couple of her brain cells.

She blinked rapidly to get her bearings, and she looked up at him in bewildered confusion. He only returned her look by quirking an eyebrow and saying, “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” she muttered back. Shaking her head lightly to clear it. “What was that for?”

Nekoma’s team captain could only shrug nonchalantly. “Can’t I give you a good morning kiss?”

“No, Tetsurō.”

“Well, too bad. I can.”

“You’re insufferable.” She was about to walk away to hand out more chopsticks, when he grabbed her by the elbow and gently pulled her back.

“What are you doing after breakfast?”

If (y/n) was confused yesterday, it had nothing on how she felt today. Today she felt like she’d woken up in the twilight zone, and she was afraid that she was going to wake up and all of this would be just a dream. As weird and unsettling as it was to have Kuroo’s attention, it wasn’t entirely unwelcome. “I’m going to hang out with Kōshi later.”

Irritation fell over Kuroo’s features, and he let go of her elbow as if he was burned. “Oh.”

Shrugging his moodswing off, (y/n) moved on to resuming her duties, completely unaware of how her fiancé’s gaze followed her and narrowed in warning at every person who tried to make a move on her. By the time that she was done with her task, all the people in line that she’d passed was trying to avoid any sort of contact with either Kuroo or her.

 

***

 

“Kōshi!” (Y/n) yelled enthusiastically as she trekked up the hill; only to stop halfway when she felt a sharp pain come from her scar. She clutched her abdomen, and tried to get her breathing back in check, like she always did when the flashes of pain happened. They rarely happened as of late, but they still did occur when she strained herself too much.

She felt warm, comforting hands on her back, and she smiled up at her friend in the hopes of easing the worried expression on his face. “Are you okay? What happened, (y/n)- _chan_?”

Letting her right hand drop from her abdomen, she beckoned the setter to stand beside her before she wrapped an arm around his waist; and Suga, not used to being touched so freely by the opposite gender, blushed madly when the (h/c) haired girl beside him leaned against him. Awkwardly, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he helped her up the hill.

At the top of the hill, both Sugawara and (Y/n) took purchase beneath the tree; sitting close together like they always used to. “Ah, it’s so hot here. I’d rather be at the farm right now.”

(Y/n) was still clutching her abdomen, and the setter took notice of it. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “I’m fine. My scar’s mostly healed, anyway; but sometimes when I get too tired, it starts hurting.”

“A scar from what?”

“I had surgery around three months ago, to remove my right ovary because it had a gigantic tumor attached to it.” The answer had passed through (y/n)’s lips so many times already that she’d become desensitized to it, when at first she felt a sense of loss accompany the answer. Now, she felt only acceptance. “If they didn’t remove it, the tumor would have burst and I would have developed cancer. I still have another one, so I can still have babies, but there’s only a slim chance of it because the other one has quite a few complications of its own.”

“How are you holding up? How did Kuroo- _san_ take the news? I’m sorry, (y/n), I would have been there if I knew.” He was just too sweet for his own good.

(Y/n) couldn’t help it, a bitter laugh escaped her lips and she looked intently into her friend’s sincere hazel eyes; so different from the golden ones that she so loved. In another life, she thought, she would have fallen for Kōshi and his soft and sincere eyes, but this was her reality and she was in love with Tetsurō and those striking gold eyes of his that never failed to take her breath away. She’d been in love with him for practically forever, and it was so laughable now that she thought about it; laughable and pathetic.

“He didn’t even visit me at the hospital, or at home. He couldn’t care less about me,” (Y/n)’s eyes had gone downcast, and she poured out nothing but the truth to the only other person who wouldn’t judge her for staying in such an arrangement. “He told me that he hated me when our engagement was made official.”

Suga remained silent, patiently waiting for (y/n) to finish her story.

“But I love him so much, Kōshi… and I hate him at the same time. Everytime I try to hate him even more, he does something I don’t expect, and I end up falling even more.” It felt so good for (y/n) to talk again with her childhood friend as if two years didn’t just pass them by, her chest felt lighter by just speaking her frustrations. Her friendship with Sugawara was the most low-maintenance friendship that she’d ever had, and she was so thankful for it.

“I… actually have no idea what advice I can offer you, (y/n)- _chan_. I’m sure you’ve told yourself both the things that you do and don’t want to hear, so it would be like I’m just taking a vote on what you should do,” Suga stated softly, gingerly wrapping a comforting arm around the girl beside him and pulling her close to him. “Plus, I’d never been engaged before.”

They both laughed at the admission, and the grey-haired setter continued, “But I’m always here for you. Maybe we can beat him up and tie him with a volleyball net? Will that make you feel better?”

The image of Kuroo struggling tangled up in a volleyball net made her laugh heartily, and she leaned her head on Kōshi’s shoulder. He may not have given her the sage advice that she was looking for, but this was enough for her; she felt better, even if it was only temporary.

From the walkway, walking with Kenma, Bokuto and Akaashi, Kuroo spied intently on the pair at the top of the hill. He saw (y/n) with her head against Sugawara’s shoulder and it frayed even more at his threadlike temper; he was close to losing it, and he didn’t like it one bit.

“ _Oi_ , Kuroo, isn’t that your girlfriend?” Bokuto pointed out loudly, even going as far as pointing his finger at (y/n). “ _Oi_ , Kuroo’s girlfriend!”

From the top of the hill, (y/n) saw her raven-haired captain, his expression was twisted in one of anger, and when their eyes met it was only then that she realized that it was anger at **her**. Immediately, she scrambled up from her seat beside Sugawara, and she traipsed down the hill as carefully as she could; while Kuroo, on the other hand, transferred his hateful glare to the setter before storming off.

When she saw him walking away, (y/n) doubled her pace, not minding how her scar was throbbing mildly. She just pressed a hand against it and called out to him, hoping that he would turn around and let her explain. Still, he kept on walking, leaving (y/n) no choice but to chase after him. “Tetsurō! _Chotto matte_!”

“ _Eh_? Did I do something wrong, Akaashi?” Bokuto asked, blinking owlishly at the corner where Kuroo and his girlfriend had disappeared to.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *GASP* My dear baby Bokuto, too precious for this world.  
> Also, will anyone volunteer to be my beta-reader? I have my childhood best friend to consult about this, but he's in law school right now and I highly doubt that he has the time to read this... and I don't want to make him read this one. It's... sin, just pure sin. A beta-reader would be soooo amazing because I could bounce my ideas off of someone, because I HAVE SO MANY.  
> Reviews will be very much loved. >:D xx


	9. Loss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh, hi, guys!  
> I'm still looking for a beta reader, if anyone's interested.  
> I would really appreciate it.  
> Please. Halp. D:

Breathless and mildly in pain, (Y/n) called out to the raven-haired man who was walking still away from her. “ _Matte_ , Tetsurō! _Onegai_!” 

Still, Kuroo kept on walking. Jaw tight in anger and hands clenched into fists to keep himself from facing the girl chasing after him and yelling at her; admitting that he was furious because he had started caring about her, and it gutted him everytime she would even so much as talk to a man who wasn’t him; not because he was intimidated by their looks, but because he was afraid that they were going to steal her heart away from him.

He didn’t even realize that he’d stopped walking, until he felt (y/n)’s arms wrap around his torso. She was breathing heavily against him, and she rested her forehead against his back, making him close his eyes as he tried to calm himself down.

“ _Matte_ , Tetsurō. Please, just listen to me,” she whispered so softly that he almost didn’t hear it.

Hands shaking, (y/n) grabbed fistfuls of Kuroo’s shirt as she just stayed wrapped around him, keeping him anchored to where he was as she pushed the pain to the back of her mind. “Kōshi is just a friend.”

“I know that.”

“Then why are you mad?”

“Because.”

Silence engulfed both of them, shadows moving over them with the passing clouds blocking out the sunlight that laid their emotions bare on their faces. “Because what?”

“Just because. Will you just leave me alone?”

At his answer, (y/n) snapped; pushing herself away from him and barely keeping herself from punching him. “Leave you alone? When you’re the one who plotted for me to be here!?”

“I didn’t tell you to go!” Kuroo yelled back, finally facing his fiancée and letting her see the anger that was so blatant in his eyes.

She wanted to feel bad, to soothe his feelings and assure him that nothing had happened; but a bigger, enraged, and worn-out part of her was having none of his bullshit right now. Not anymore. “I didn’t have a choice! I always don’t have a choice when it comes to you. All you do is take, and take, and take from me! Whatever you say goes, and now I can’t even talk to my friend? Who died and made you king of everything?”

“It’s not even that!” The middle blocker reached out and roughly grabbed (y/n) by her arms. His sharp eyes glared right at her, scaring her for the first time in a long time; it reminded her of the first day of their engagement.

_I despise you_.

She could only stare back at him as her body went numb, casting aside the pain that was coming from her scar. Tears pricked the backs of her eyes, and she couldn’t even blink them back in fear of setting him off again. She didn’t know if she could bear to hear any more of his words. 

He continued, voice much quieter but possessing much more venom than it did earlier. “It’s how you act with him. When I see you acting like such a slut with him, it makes me so mad. You’re mine, (y/n).”

_Slut_. She’d never been insulted with such a word in her entire life, making her tears now pool in her eyes, at the precipice of falling and staining her cheeks. Without any regard for her, Kuroo pulled her into him and pressed his lips to hers. She remained unmoving, and he tightened his grip on her arms to shake her out of whatever stupor she was in. 

Slowly, hesitantly, she responded back to his kisses, all while tears continuously streamed down her face; until a sob escaped her lips, which made her push Kuroo away. “Stop. Please. Just stop.”

(Y/n) couldn’t take it anymore, she let her tears fall freely down her face— allowing all of her repressed emotions throughout the years to finally find release. She put her hands on her face and cried into them, sobs wracking her body, and a perpetual chill running through her veins that rendered her immobile.

The raven-haired captain reached out and touched her arm, making her recoil and bare her tear-stained face to him. “Don’t touch me!” She hissed vehemently, her eyes now wild with undiluted anger that, honestly, scared Kuroo.

More tears rolled down her cheeks, and she didn’t bother wiping them away as she glared at the man in front of her. “I can’t do this anymore. It’s over between us. I’ll tell everyone when we get back.”

With that, she walked away, wiping her tears away and holding her head high as she did so.

He didn’t know what to do; his mind raced a mile a minute in the hopes of finding something to say to make her take her words back, but came up with nothing. Her words just played over and over in his mind, tugging violently at his heart and chilling him right down to his soul. This was what he’d wanted all along, to be free of her, but why did he feel like this now? He felt as if he’d just lost everything.

 

***

 

Kuroo fully expected (y/n) not to show up at the gym for training, and he was fully prepared to put up the excuse that she wasn’t feeling well because of her scar from her recent operation, but he was thankful that he didn’t need to use it when he saw her already setting down the caddies with their sports bottles.

He approached her, even when his heart was practically twisting itself in his chest at the mere sight of her. Images of her tear-stained face flashed through his mind, and he had to clutch his chest in an effort to soothe himself. When he was just a few feet from her, he reached out—or, at least, tried to—but when he saw his shaky hand, he pulled it back down to his side and opted to say her name instead.

“(Y/n),” his voice was barely above a whisper.

She looked up at him, putting her task of folding towels on hold just for him. Her eyes were red-rimmed and a little puffy, which had him feeling like the lowest life form in the world; what really got him, though, were her eyes— instead of the usual (e/c) eyes that glowed with that fire, there was nothing but darkness. “Yes, Kuroo- _san_?”

The raven-haired male felt like the wind was knocked out of him; he’d almost doubled over with the intensity of the guilt that hit him. He’d done it this time: he’d killed her flame. He never thought that he could sink so low, but here he was, at the lowest point of his young life because he’d singlehandedly made (y/n) fall out of love with him.

He never should have been afraid of someone else stealing her heart away; he should have been afraid that he was finally going to break it, and she herself would take it back.

“We… need to talk.” Kuroo wanted to beat himself up. He should be on his knees right now, begging her to forgive him; to give her heart back to him, but he couldn’t do it. He didn’t want to do it. He wasn’t used to being the one in (y/n)’s shoes; he was used to being the one who always pushed her away and not the other way around.

“There’s nothing to talk about, Kuroo- _san_. It’s over between us.” She went back to folding towels for the team, not looking at him anymore, as the mere sight of him was enough to make tears well in her eyes again.

“You can’t decide that,” he countered, grasping at straws but still trying to change her mind. “We signed a contract on it. You’ll lose your inheritance from your grandparents.”

“I couldn’t care less about my inheritance.”

This was hardly the time and place for them to be arguing, and he was surprised that no one had interrupted them yet. Looking back at their exchange, both of them seemed to be so calm; it was just inside his head that he felt like he was screaming.

“Then why did you even agree to marry me?”

Her fingers ceased their routine, and she looked up at him with those dead eyes. “Because I loved you.”

How could she even say that so casually? He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, and held himself back from doing anything rash like pulling her towards him and trying to kiss her, just to get that fire back in her eyes. “You didn’t even know me, (y/n).”

They grew up together, sure, but they never really spent the time to get to know each other on a deeper level. Superficial facts were a given but, to Kuroo, that wasn’t even enough of a basis for her to fall in love with him.

“And that was my mistake.”

Hearing her admit it, even if it was true, made Kuroo’s heart stop beating in his chest. He felt numbness set in his body, and his mind was just blank. It was as if his whole world had collapsed before him, and there was nothing he could do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we have it, guys, the start of Reader-chan and Kuroo's demise.  
> Don't worry, there will be more. So much more.  
> Also, for my Filipino peeps out there, I was listening to "Sana" by I Belong to the Zoo on repeat while writing this... as well as the next few chapters.  
> Thank you for the reviews, kudos, and the bookmarks!  
> Reviews are still very much loved. xx


	10. The Greatest Enemy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY HEY. How's everyone doing? Brace yourselves because I love this chapter the most, so far. >:D

The remaining days of the training camp were filled with silence for (y/n) and Kuroo. They both did what was expected of them, but they tried to avoid the other as much as possible. Everyone around them could tell that something was wrong, but no one dared to speak up about it.

(Y/n) had taken to helping her team during free practice, so she had built up a rapport with them that wasn’t as shrouded in their first impression of her, and that made her happy. She had talked in passing to Sugawara, but they could never find the time to just sit down and actually have a decent conversation. On the last day of camp, though, the pair had promised to spend time with each other, even for just a half hour.

Kuroo, however, had mostly kept to himself. He still practiced with Bokuto, Akaashi, and Karasuno’s _Megane-kun_ , but that was only so he wouldn’t go seeking out (y/n). His chest always tightened when he saw her, but he could only look at her. He tried talking to her before one of the games with Shinzen, but she was as polite as ever— as if he was nothing more than a stranger— and it grated heavily on him, which was why he’d just avoided talking to her altogether. He felt like he was going to go crazy with the impersonal way that she was treating him.

It was all his fault that she’d been pushed to her limits, and he wanted her back, but had no idea how to do so. Her mind was made up, and there was nothing in the world that could change it.  
  
Nekoma’s raven-haired captain was walking back to the room that he shared with his team mates when he saw (y/n). Her hair was being tousled by the wind, and she ran a hand through it before standing at the end of the walkway that led to the outdoor basketball court. He knew he shouldn’t do it, but he decided to follow her, telling himself that he just wanted to see what she was up to— not because he wanted to make sure that she was going to be alright. 

When (Y/n) stepped on to the court, she felt a sense of warmth blanket over her; it was like coming home on a rainy day for her. Attached to one of the basket poles was a rack filled with basketballs and, gingerly, the (h/c) haired girl took one of the balls for herself.

She stared at it for almost a minute, just observing how the outside was scuffed up with use, and feeling how familiar it was to hold a basketball in her hands; it had been so long. With a sigh, she started dribbling the ball, slowly easing herself back to her middle school days while walking over to the free-throw line.

With her height, it was a bit intimidating to be faced with the hoop this far, but after dribbling the ball twice, she took a shooting stance and counted to three in her head before she let the ball fly; it went smoothly inside the basket, and a melancholic smile tugged at her lips as she relived her glory days, even if it was just for tonight.

Shot after shot made it into the basket, leaving Kuroo in awe at (y/n)’s capability. He was observing her from the shadows, far enough to be obscured by a tree that she couldn’t see him, but close enough to see her expressions clearly.

Aiming for another shot, she let the ball fly once more, this time hitting the hoop and ricocheting against the backboard. The ball bounced back towards the (h/c) haired girl at a vertical angle that a squeak of terror left her lips as she covered her head with her hands to protect it from the ball. Luckily, it landed a foot away from her, which had her giggling, until the giggles escalated into laughter and—eventually— into quiet sobs.

(Y/n) couldn’t control what was happening to her; one minute she was laughing and, at the drop of a hat, she was sobbing gut-wrenching sobs that had her doubled over and hugging her  middle. She tried stopping her tears, but holding her emotions in made her chest hurt so much; so painful that her legs gave out beneath her and she was left sitting on the cold concrete.

Kuroo wanted to go out there and wrap his arms around her, kiss her tears away and tell her that he had been stupid—and he was about to do it— when a familiar figure walked up to (y/n) and draped their jacket over her shoulders. He didn’t even have to read the school name on the jacket to know that it was Sugawara with her.

An unexpected warmth blanketed her, making her look up and make out Kōshi’s face through her tears. Slowly, she brought her hands up her arms and eventually gripped the ends of the jacket around her, finding comfort from her childhood friend’s presence; still, the tears didn’t cease, and the pain in her heart only grew worse.

Suga sat down in front of her, wordlessly stroking her hair and pulling her into his arms in a tight hug. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and rested his cheek on it as she continued to cry against him.

Anger lanced through Kuroo at the sight before him; he wanted to go up there and push the setter away from (y/n), but his body wouldn’t cooperate with him. He stayed rooted to the spot, cursing himself to hell and back for letting this happen, but he couldn’t find it in himself to go up there and face the only woman who had ever loved him so unconditionally. He was ashamed of himself and his actions, and he didn’t know what to do.

(Y/n) let herself bask in Kōshi’s warmth until her tears had slowed and her sobs had quieted down. When there was just silence between them, the grey-haired setter pulled away from the girl in his arms in favor of cupping her face in his hands. His thumbs wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks, and he offered her a small smile. His heart was breaking at the sight of her, for more than one reason.

“If you keep crying, you’ll get wrinkles.”

The (h/c) haired girl sniffled and offered her friend a weak smile. “I can’t help it, I just broke up with Tetsurō.”

“Y-you broke up with him?” The setter asked softly, hope blooming in his chest, but he quashed it before it could bring trouble. “Why? Did I cause it?”

She wanted to lie to him, and she was about to do so, when she changed her mind at the last minute. “Yes and no. I didn’t know that he would react like that; he asked me why I was acting like a… slut around you, and that made me realize that I’ve had enough.”

“How could he even say that to you? Doesn’t he care about your feelings?” Suga asked, his tone rising with the anger that he felt. Anger, because if it were him…

“He never cared about me, Kōshi. It’s my fault for falling for him in the first place.”

Slowly, more tears rolled down (Y/n)’s cheeks and, instead of using his thumbs like he had earlier, Suga—mustering up all the courage that he could— leaned forward and kissed them away, gently trailing butterfly kisses down her face until he pressed his shaky lips to the corner of her mouth. “If I were him, I never would have hurt you, (Y/n).”

Kuroo couldn’t take it anymore, the sight unfolding before him was just too much and, even though his body was resolute in staying rooted on the spot, he forced himself to walk back to the side of the third gym. Rage bubbling up within him and fueling his actions, he brought up his fist and punched the wall in front of him. Slowly, blood trickled down the concrete, and he could do nothing but glare at the red liquid while telling himself that he would do everything to get (Y/n)’s heart back… even if he died trying.

Shock colored (Y/n)’s face at the confession from her childhood friend, and her mind started racing in search for the words to say to him; to let him down gently. She had always known that he was the sensible choice—someone who would love **her** unconditionally for a change—as she had touched on the idea during her last visit to Miyagi, but her heart wanted Tetsurō—bad attitude and all that came with him.

Eventually, she sighed and closed her eyes, pressing a tender kiss close to his own lips before wrapping her arms around him. “I know, Kōshi. I’m sorry.”

“It’s always been him, (Y/n); I know that, don’t worry about me, I’ll always be here for you.”

“That hardly seems fair to you. I understand if you…”

Suga smiled softly even as he felt like he was drowning in pain. “Life’s not fair, besides, I’d rather keep you like this than lose you forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are greatly appreciated. Thank you for the kudos and bookmarks, also! xx  
> And if you have time, you can give "The Greatest Enemy" by I Belong to the Zoo a good listen.  
> I think it's the perfect song for Suga and Reader-chan.  
> WHY DO I STAN THEM SO MUCH? Suga's only the second male lead, but omfg.  
> Maybe I should branch out and make a story about Suga?????


	11. Intoxicated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG You guys, thank you so much for the reviews, and all the kudos, as well as the bookmarks.  
> They make me so happy and motivate me to write more.  
> Though I'm not sure if I should stop spreading sin. Lol.

The last day for the training camp was supposed to be something for the books, but it hardly felt like that for (Y/n); she was still reeling over the confession she had gotten from Sugawara last night, even though they had reached an agreement to still be friends— she just couldn’t stop feeling guilty for… not returning his feelings. And Kuroo… everytime she saw the raven-haired male, her whole body would freeze and she would turn the other way to avoid him; it was pathetic.

Try as she might to not notice him, she still noticed the bandages that were wrapped around his right hand. She couldn’t help but worry, lots of scenarios coming to her mind: was he in a fight? Was he hurt during free practice? Did he hurt himself on his way to the dorms? It was safe to say that it added greatly to her stress, and she didn’t appreciate it one bit. 

She cared, she still did, but the risk of Kuroo hurting her again was a great pain for the reward of being with him, so she couldn’t do it— she was tired, like she’d said to him once before. Her heart had grown weary over the years, and this was her finally thinking of herself.

The barbecue was a pretty rowdy party when Nekomata- _sensei_ gave the signal to start, everyone practically dove in and shoveled the meat onto their plates. (Y/n), however, had more self-restraint and was passing out _onigiri_ to everyone. She was smiling and laughing, so at odds with how she really felt inside: half-empty, hurting, needy for Kuroo, which fooled everyone save for two people. 

Kuroo was talking to Nobuyuki—the team’s vice captain—when he caught a glimpse at the only long-haired girl in the camp, sending his heart pounding painfully in his chest with just the sight of her. (Y/n) was offering a plate of _onigiri_ to Nishinoya—whom he wanted to pummel to the ground at that moment—who practically had hearts in his eyes as he accepted the whole plate, leaving the smiling girl with a half-filled one to pass around.

“Suga- _san_ ,” the libero called out, waving his _senpai_ over and grinning from ear to ear. “I found your friend.”

Suga’s eyes widened as a blush colored his cheeks. He looked at his _kouhai_ before smiling sheepishly at (Y/n); he’d been looking for her earlier, but he guessed that Noya must have heard him. “Have you eaten yet, (Y/n)- _chan_?”

The shorter girl shook her head, adopting a rouge on her cheeks like that of Suga’s, before she smiled at him. “Not yet.”

“Do you want me to make you a plate?”

“I’m good for now, Kōshi. Thank you.”

With an unsure nod, Sugawara accepted her answer. Then she returned it with a tender expression of her own, as she reached out with her free hand and was about to touch his cheek when she caught herself.

Sharp, golden eyes had caught the whole exchange, and he felt that familiar rage bubbling inside him again. He tamped it down, half listening to Nobuyuki tell him a story about Yaku, while he quickly built a plate of food for (Y/n). “ _Ah_ , _gomen_ , Nobuyuki, I just have to-”

The vice-captain chuckled, nodding in understanding before answering, “I have, honestly, never seen you so… taken.”

Kuroo didn’t answer to that— he didn’t know how to— so he just shrugged and made his way over to where she was standing. He saw the way her eyes widened, and how her shoulders got tense— she was about to bolt, but he took the plate from her hand and set it down on a nearby table, before gently grasping her hand in his own and pulling her along with him.

Her movements were stiff, and he could tell that she wanted nothing more than to be very far away from him right now, but he wasn’t allowing that. Stopping on the other side of the gym—well away from prying eyes— the middle blocker situated her to stand in front of him, with her back to the wall. “Here, I made a plate for you.”

“You didn’t have to, Kuroo- _san_ ,” she whispered quietly, avoiding his piercing gaze by looking at the plate of food in his left hand. Her hands reached out to get the plate, but he held it away from her, which made her stumble when she tried to reach for it. Smoothly, the raven-haired captain caught her with his right arm, pulling her to his chest and resting his palm between her shoulder blades.

They stayed like that for quite some time, relishing the connection between their bodies since no one wanted to say anything in fear of breaking the tranquil spell over them. “Call me like you used to, (Y/n),” Kuroo whispered softly, hesitantly, as his hand glided up to the side of her neck, where he proceeded to gently trace the very faint love bites that he’d left on her skin a few days ago. “Please.”

The plea tacked on at the end of the sentence floored (Y/n), waking her up from the trance that she was in. She tried to push herself away from Kuroo, but he only pulled her closer to him in a one-armed hug.

“Don’t do this, Kuroo. It’s over between us.”

“But… I don’t want it to be over.”

If the plea had floored her, this admission sent her brain through an immeasurable number of loops. Never in her life did she think that Kuroo would admit to wanting to be with her, and she was happy that he said the words, but it still wasn’t enough to change her mind; it wasn’t enough for her to forgive him.

“Why are you being so difficult!?” He couldn’t help it, anger seeped into his tone as (Y/n) pushed herself away from him. It was difficult to argue with her with one of his hands occupied, but he thought that maybe it was for the best since he couldn’t touch her like she had been asking him to do. “I’m pouring my heart out to you, but still nothing? What do you want me to do? Beg on my knees? Why can’t you understand that I need you?”

By the end of his tirade, the soft expression on (Y/n)’s face had hardened into one of anger. Her breathing was heavy but controlled as she reigned her words back, trying to keep him as quiet as possible to not cause a commotion. “I’m the one who’s being difficult? What did you expect to happen? That I would forgive you just like that, like my feelings mean nothing and that you haven’t been constantly reminding me over the years of how much you **despise** me? I don’t want you to do anything anymore, Kuroo; I thought I still wanted to be with you, but this just proves how doomed this relationship was from the beginning— how stupid I was to keep holding on to you.”

“You don’t care about me; you care about yourself. You don’t need me because you love me, and that is an insult to me.” She finally got the courage to move her lead-like arms, and she brought her hand up to stab his chest with her index finger to punctuate her last sentence. “Please, just leave me alone.”

Kuroo shook his head, about to grab her by the arm with his free hand, when she slapped his hand away. “Leave you alone so you can be with your precious Kōshi?!”

“Don’t bring him into this.”

“But he’s the reason we’re here in the first place, (Y/n)! What does he have that I don’t? I can make you happy!”

“Don’t blame him for your mistake.” (Y/n) shot him with such a hateful look that he almost backed down, but he held on to his own anger to try and change her mind. “You’ve had three years to do that, Tetsurō! And in those three years, not once was I really happy. I’ve been happier with the few hours that I was with Kōshi than I ever was with you.”

She didn’t mean to goad him, but she was done mincing her words to keep **him** from getting angry. His eyes flashed with rage, and a chill ran through her body as he tossed the plate of food in his hand into the garbage can a few feet away from them, before he pinned her with those golden eyes.

Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest with the fear that she felt, and her body was preparing itself to run, but he caged her to the wall with his body— not leaving her any space to fight him. “Get away from me, or I’m going to scream.”

He chuckled, not buying her bluff. He trailed one hand to the nape of her neck, where he then proceeded to grab a fistful of her hair. “You wouldn’t do that. I know you too well, (Y/n).”

(Y/n) was about to prove him wrong, opening her mouth to let out a scream, when Kuroo leaned down and claimed her lips with his own. It felt good to be connected to her like this, and he was the one who practically melted this time as his eyes closed involuntarily; the (h/c) haired girl beneath him, however, struggled against him, trying to push him away with all that she had— until he reached down with both hands and caught her wrists, pinning them to the wall behind her.

“Could he make you feel like this?” Kuroo whispered through demanding kisses, leaving both himself and (y/n) breathless. She whimpered against his mouth, and he could only smirk when he felt her resistance give when her arms relaxed and her lips started responding to his kisses.

No more words were said between them, only moving mouths and writhing bodies seeking relief. Kuroo pressed his erection against her hip, letting her feel just how desperate he was for her, and she moaned against his mouth in response before biting his bottom lip so roughly that it drew blood. He broke the kiss then, shaking his head at her and licking the blood off of his bottom lip.

He knew he wasn’t supposed to like it, but the hate that he saw in her eyes spurred him on, making him the hardest he’d ever been in his life; a chuckle passed his lips at the realization, and then he went back to devouring her lips.

Letting go of her right wrist, Kuroo let his unoccupied hand trail down her body— giving her right breast a squeeze that earned a moan against his mouth, before eventually settling against her crotch, where he then proceeded to move her shorts and underwear to the side so that he could delve his fingers in her heat.

“You’re already so wet,” Kuroo muttered against her lips, letting a guttural moan pass from his own mouth when she brought her right hand down and palmed his erection over his shorts. There was hesitance in her actions, and the middle blocker knew that she was starting to regret what was happening between them; he wasn’t having any of that.

A finger circled her entrance, spreading her arousal around it before delving all the way into her sweet heat. (Y/n) moaned, tossing her head back in pleasure when Kuroo’s thumb started rubbing her clit in time with thrusting his middle finger in her. All thoughts of how this wasn’t the time or place for this abandoned her, and she let her hand delve into his shorts— where it wrapped around his sizeable erection.

Kuroo’s eyes screwed themselves shut as he groaned, lightly thrusting his cock into her hand to ease some of the pressure that he felt— while he added another finger inside her, curling them in a ‘come hither’ motion that had her biting her bottom lip to keep herself from screaming in pleasure. He grinned mischievously, pumping his fingers faster and letting go of her left hand so that he could put his hand on her mouth to muffle the gasps and moans of pleasure coming from her. Before he knew it, her pussy tightened around his fingers and she came all over them, all while moaning so wantonly against his palm— her grip on his cock so pleasurably tight that it had his head spinning. It was a miracle that no one was coming to check on them with all the noise she had been making.

“Good girl,” he cooed, pulling his fingers out of her and sucking her juices off of the digits.

The raven-haired male was about to slide her shorts off, when her hand started pumping his dick, and she gave his chest a light push to give her space as she knelt down in front of him. His eyes widened in shock, speechless as his meek (Y/n) pulled his erection from its confines and gave the tip a teasing lick that took everything in him to not push it all the way down her throat.

(Y/n) didn’t know where she had gotten the courage to do what she was doing right now, but here she was: on her knees in front of Kuroo with his cock slowly going in her mouth. Kuroo groaned quietly, grabbing a fistful of her hair once more before lightly thrusting his dick into her wet, hot mouth; his eyes never leaving the erotic sight before him.

Just when he thought that it couldn’t get any hotter, (e/c) eyes looked up at him, burning with the flame that he was craving to see, but dark with so much lust that he wanted nothing more than to fuck her to nirvana at that moment.

Her tongue circled his shaft, and he couldn’t help it: he thrust his cock all the way in, moaning so unabashedly when he felt the tip go down her throat. She gagged, tears springing up to her eyes, but she breathed through her nose and started pumping him in and out of her mouth, letting her hand take care of what her mouth couldn’t— all while glaring at him.

The feel of her mouth moving around him— sucking him so beautifully that he couldn’t help but just look down at her and enjoy the feeling—partnered with the heat in her eyes directed towards him was enough to make him reach near climax not even five minutes later. Kuroo, however, wasn’t ashamed that he couldn’t last as long as he usually did— this was way hotter than what any of his middle school fuck buddies could ever hope to achieve.

He was about to pull out to cum on her face instead, when she brought her left hand up to his ass and pushed him deep into her mouth while he came. He let out a loud groan, followed by (y/n)’s name on his lips, which made heat bloom in said girl’s chest.

When he was spent, she pulled away from him and closed her mouth— swallowing his cum. To say that he was shocked was really an understatement; he was… confused, aroused, and proud all at once, that he spluttered out incomprehensible words as he watched her rise up to her full height. All he could do was cup her face in his hands and devour her lips with his own, feeling an intoxicating sense of smugness when he tasted himself on her tongue.

Truth be told, (Y/n) had no idea what her brain was thinking when she did that, she had just followed her instincts… and maybe the books that she had read before, but this didn’t change anything between them. She wasn’t going to let desire cloud her judgment, no matter how good it felt to slake her lust with Kuroo.

She broke away from him and his hungry mouth, sighing heavily as she stated, “This doesn’t change anything.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More sin. You're very welcome. >:D  
> Also, I was wondering if I should continue this until they just reach an agreement, or all the way into their future(s)???? So maybe like 14 more chapters like my Tsukki story.  
> Thoughts?


	12. Prettiest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey! I was supposed to update around 12 AM my time (GMT+8, Philippines) but I have to be somewhere around that time, so this one is a bit early.  
> Thank you to all the people who have been constantly leaving comments; you guys know who you are!   
> Thank you as well for all of the kudos, and the bookmarks, and just everything.  
> <3

The next few days following the training camp was a reprieve for (Y/n), as it gave her the well-needed time to clear her head and think about how she was going to tell her parents and grandparents that she didn’t want to proceed with the engagement anymore.

Her phone buzzed on her pillow, and she picked it up. It was a text from Kōshi:

> _How are you holding up?_

A small, sad smile made its way to her lips, while her mind went back to the moment that they said goodbye. It was much more silent compared to their goodbyes when they were younger; much more intimate and personal.

> _Better, but I still don’t know what to tell them._

The reply came quickly, and she smiled; he really was too good for her.

> _Can I call you?_

Without replying to his message, she pulled up his profile on her phone and called his number. It rang once, and he answered softly, “Hey.”

“Hey yourself. How was the game today? Did you win?” (Y/n) answered just as softly, gingerly getting out of her bed and walking outside to the balcony attached to her room. There wasn’t much of a view because all she could see were the houses lining the streets and the people passing by, but her perch granted her a substantial view of the sunset right now. The orange light cast a glow on her face, and she leaned against the banister as she listened to his soothing voice across the line.

“We won against Ougiminami and Kakugawa. Maybe I’ll be coming back to Tokyo soon… hopefully.” The last sentence was said so tenderly that it made her heart pound in her chest, all while a blush colored her cheeks. She touched her left cheek with her free hand, confused at why she was feeling this way towards Kōshi.

“Then you better do your best,” she answered quietly, a small smile tugging at her lips as she pushed her confusion to the backburner and just let her enjoy this conversation with her… friend. They were just friends, she reminded herself.

Silence reigned on the other side, until, “Have you told your parents yet?”

“I don’t know how to tell them. They’ve been looking forward to mine and Tetsurō’s marriage for practically my whole life; it would disappoint them. I’ve been having second thoughts about even telling them…”

“Then what about your own feelings, (Y/n)?”

“I don’t know, Kōshi.”

“You deserve to be happy.”

_I was happy with you_. The unbidden thought made her recoil, and she almost dropped her phone as she struggled to calm her racing heart. She shouldn’t be feeling this; she loved Kuroo… but… Kōshi was just so tempting— he was the easier choice, because she knew that he would give her the love that she had been craving to get from Kuroo, but… “I still love him, more than anyone else in the world.”

“I… don’t know what to say to that. Just think about it, don’t think about how anyone else is going to feel— just focus on yourself for once. If all of them hate you for it, I’ll still be here,” he offered gently, then added in a joking manner, “You can always move to Miyagi. I’ll even let you have my old room.”

“Ha-ha, very funny, Kōshi,” she retorted, switching the phone to her left hand while looking up the road to watch the people pass by on their way to the train station. Her breath got caught in her throat, and her whole body grew warm at the sight of the familiar raven-colored bedhead right across the street from her. He was just standing there, looking up at her with those arresting golden eyes, with Kenma nowhere to be seen. Usually, they took the train together since they were neighbors. “I have to go. Something just came up. I’ll talk to you later, Kōshi.”

Without waiting for him to answer, she dropped the call and slipped the phone into the back pocket of her shorts, focusing instead on the man staring so intently at her. He fished his phone from his pocket, looking for her name in his contacts list before calling her.

Completely confused, (Y/n) took her vibrating phone from her back pocket and stared back and forth from the caller ID as well as the man calling her. Hesitantly, she put the phone up to her ear and answered the call.

His voice immediately washed over her, bathing her in more warmth, as the telltale feeling of lust tugged at her conscious. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 2 PM; I’m taking you to Kichijōji.”

Her brows furrowed in both confusion and irritation. Who did he think he was to expect her to drop everything just like that for him? She wanted to ask him that very question, but an entirely different sentence came from her mouth. “Why are you doing this? The engagement is over, you’re free to do what you want.”

“No one’s told me about it, making your claims a lie,” Kuroo answered, irritation laced into his tone as he narrowed his eyes up at the girl on her balcony. What he would give to be up in her room and fucking her into her mattress… “We’re still together, no matter what you say.”

Irritation coursed through (Y/n)— both at herself and at Kuroo— leaving her speechless, so she did the next best thing: she dropped the call and raised her middle finger down at him, before going back in her room to hide her burning face.

Kuroo was so tempted to ring the doorbell and go up to the (h/c) haired girl’s room to make her repeat what she just did, ~~and possibly strip her clothes off and fuck her until she was screaming his name~~ , but he decided to just let it go; after all, that’s what you did for someone that you cared about.

 

***

 

2:10 PM.

He was late, and it irked (Y/n) down to the bones that Kuroo was tardy when he was the one who’d set their meet-up time. She sighed heavily, taking another look at herself in the full length mirror beside her closet. She seemed pretty enough— fashionable, even— with the light pink dress that she donned and partnered with a black leather jacket, then finished off with her brown knee-high leather boots that were a gift from her brother Haruichi. 

She wanted to bring a purse, but deemed it too much effort to hold, so she kept her phone and railpass in the interior pocket of the jacket, and her cash in the adjacent jacket pocket. Now, all she needed was the man who proposed this trip to begin with; she wasn’t going to delude herself enough to call this a date— as far as she was concerned, they were no longer engaged.

But why was she still going out with him? To Kichijōji of all places? She had no idea.

A sigh escaped her lips again, and she paced around her room, just picking up various knickknacks that she’d collected over the years, when she came across the old framed photo of her and Kuroo on their engagement day. Instantly, a frown marred her lips as she studied the fake smile on her younger self’s face, before moving on to gaze at the face of the man that still held her heart.

She remembered the day that sparked the change inside her; closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she turned the frame facedown, pushing the toxic memory from her mind.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, which made her jump before scrambling to get the vibrating gadget away from her left boob. _Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to keep it there_ , she thought before answering the call without checking who it was.

“I’m outside. Let’s go.” It was Kuroo, and he wasn’t even going to say hello to her parents. She rolled her eyes at his rudeness, but thought that maybe it was for the best that they didn’t see each other, in case Kuroo warned them about her attempt to cancel the engagement; that would ruin her plans to ease them into the idea of it.

“Typical.”

“Hurry up.”

“Is there not a romantic bone in your body?” She quipped before she could stop herself, making her want to hit her head against her door as she opened it.

“I’m taking you out on a date already, am I not?”

_A **date**?! This was a date!? _ It felt as if her brain had stopped working, and she staggered down the stairs like a newborn calf because just the thought of Kuroo taking her out on a date made her weak in the knees.

“Mama,” (Y/n) called out to her mother who was reading one of her magazines in the lounge. “I’m going out with Tetsurō.”

She bolted before her mother could get up from her seat, hurrying towards the door with her phone still clutched in her hand. She was about to drop the call, when her mother yelled out, “Don’t forget to use condoms, (Y/n)!”

Absolutely mortified, she dropped the call and practically ran out of her house, and through the front gates. There, in all his sexy glory, was Kuroo wearing a black v-neck sweater with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a pair of black, low hanging jeans, and black boots that she was—secretly—admiring.

Once he saw her, he shot her a mischievous smirk that had her heart racing. He was not good for her heart— literally and figuratively speaking. “So, condoms, huh?”

“ _Urusai_!” She yelled, about to push him when he caught her hands and held her still as he swooped down and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips.

“You look pretty… the prettiest girl in Tokyo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, eh? Prettiest girl in Tokyo? Prettiest girl in Miyagi? Oh, Reader-chan.  
> I was planning on doing this chapter a la Six Degrees of Separation [The Script], but thought that this was a better approach to what I have planned.  
> This is just a build up for things to come, so please excuse the fluff-and-filler-ishness of it.  
> Things will get better, I promise. >:D


	13. Only With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy. I'm back, and felt really bad because I hate reading fillers myself so...  
> Anyways... here we go.

The compliment had caught her off guard, which had her opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water that, in turn, made Kuroo chuckle as he let go of her left hand and held tight to the right one.

“Are you on drugs?” (Y/n) asked seriously, following the raven-haired male, but letting her eyes be fixated on their intertwined hands.

He shrugged, knowing full well what she was talking about, but deciding to ignore her question because, even he didn’t know what he was doing. He had stooped to the very bottom of the barrel and asked Kenma for dating advice. **Kenma** , of all people; since he assumed that he knew more about (Y/n) because they were in the same class. Of course, he didn’t get much out of his friend, so he had stooped even lower: scouring the internet for dating advice. 

It felt weird to be doing those things to (Y/n), as he had never really been the romantic type, but he wanted to keep her; and if this was what it took, he was going to endure it.

The walk to the train station was filled with awkward, tense silence that had (Y/n) wracking her brain for something to say that would be on neutral ground; she didn’t want a screaming match to happen or, gods forbid, a repeat of what happened on the last day of the training camp at Shinzen— although she wouldn’t be very opposed to the idea.

Warmth spread throughout her body, and she willed herself to think of things other than the feeling of Kuroo’s fingers bringing her to orgasm, which proved to be quite difficult with said fingers squeezing hers every once in a while; plus, partnered with the view of his ass in those jeans… not even a nun would be able to resist succumbing to sin with him. 

“Don’t you have to train today?” (Y/n) asked thickly, clearing her throat when the huskiness of her voice almost betrayed her. “Nationals is coming up.”

Kuroo shook his head, adjusting his grip on (Y/n)’s hand so that their fingers were laced together as he slowed down his gait and walked beside her. She thought that he couldn’t tell how she was discreetly trying to slide her hand out of his grip, but he could— and he didn’t like it one bit. “We did, but it was in the morning, because I asked Nekomata- _sensei_ if I can have this afternoon off.” 

Her eyebrows practically shot through the roof at the blatant admission, not expecting such honesty from him— let alone the effort that it took to convince his whole team to settle for morning practice when most of them weren’t morning people.

“Speechless?” Kuroo teased, smirking as he brought their intertwined hands up to his lips to plant butterfly kisses on her knuckles.

She couldn’t even dignify his question with an answer; that’s how speechless she was.

 

***

 

This really wasn’t his style; he knew it, (Y/n) could probably tell, and maybe even the people that they passed by could tell that taking someone out on a date was a very alien concept to him— since he didn’t even know what to do first. He’d read about Kichijōji and how it was a popular place for first dates because there were a lot of things to do, but maybe he should have stuck to doing one thing: something that he was going to enjoy as well, like going to Hanayashiki, but he also knew that the (h/c) haired girl beside him couldn’t go on rides yet. 

Yes, he’d searched the Internet about her condition as well; letting his curiosity get the best of him a few nights ago… all because he couldn’t get her out of his mind. She was like a gnat in his mind, annoying and hard to get rid of.

“What do you want to do first?” The raven-haired captain asked, looking intently at the girl before him and trying to read what was on her mind. Her expression wasn’t giving anything away, and it frustrated him to no end that he couldn’t tell if she was enjoying herself or not. Where was his top-notch game sense? Didn’t it work with fiancées as well?

She merely shrugged, frustrating him to no end, and making him resort to his backup plan. He remembered reading about a nice ice cream shop that wasn’t too far away from where they were, so he—wordlessly—dragged her there.

“Here, let’s get ice cream,” Kuroo grumbled, pointing up at the door that led to the majorly fruity ice cream parlor.

“I can’t. I’m lactose intolerant.”

He wanted to slap himself for never bothering to get to know her. In his defense, he never thought that he would care **this** much about losing her when he was younger; he never thought that he would come to care about her at all, but here he was— practically jumping through hoops to win her affections back.

“Don’t you have pills for that or something?”

“I do, but they’re at home.”

“Why didn’t you bring them!?” This wasn’t good for him; he was losing his cool.

Which meant that (Y/n) was going to retaliate as well. “Because I don’t go around planning to make myself suffer, Tetsurō!”

The outburst earned a few looks from passersby, and Kuroo screwed his eyes shut— emptying his mind of all that frustrated him at the moment and thinking only good thoughts, like (Y/n) playing with his tongue when they make out, his cock going in and out of her glorious mouth, how her pussy felt so tight around his fingers… and now he was getting hard. He really couldn’t win with this woman.

“Oh _kami-sama_ , are you getting hard?” The source of his frustration whispered discreetly, leaning in to him and giving him the opportunity to smell her hair: strawberries and vanilla. It made him even harder than before.

“ _Urusai_ ,” he snapped, opening his eyes and focusing entirely on her (e/c) ones. “Unless you want **me** to shut you up.”

(Y/n)’s cheeks went scarlet, and she tried tugging her hand out of his grip— tried being the keyword. “Why are you such a pervert?”

“Only with you.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he instantly regretted them.

By now, (Y/n) had stopped struggling, but her face was scrunched up as if she was in pain. He was about to ask her what was wrong, or call 119, when he heard a snicker pass her lips— and then the laughter came. It wasn’t just any simple, ladylike laugh though; it was a full-out laugh— the kind that made your stomach hurt after a while.

On one hand, he wanted to just walk straight into traffic and hope that the next car takes him out quick so that he could be spared from this ordeal; but on the other hand, he was… happy that he could make her laugh like that, even if it was at his expense. Her face was lit up with joy: cheeks flushed, her eyes closed, and her mouth still so tempting even as it let out the most unladylike laughter that he’d ever heard.

Before he could even hold it, a small smile crawled up on to his lips, and his golden eyes softened as he looked his fill of her in this way. Discreetly, he took out his phone and snapped a quick picture— knowing that just having this in his memory wouldn’t be enough for him; he didn’t want to just come back to this moment when he felt like it… he wanted to be reminded of it everyday until they were old and grey.

The realization had him reeling, though— it brought him back to Earth— and he didn’t appreciate the way that he felt his trepidations start to creep into his thoughts.

“I don’t know whether to be scared or flattered, Tetsurō,” (Y/n)’s chirpy voice cut into his trance, bringing his focus back to her and making his heart feel lighter in his chest just at the sight of her smile; a smile that was meant for **him**. Finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the risk of sounding like a complete psycho (which I am not)...  
> Remember how amazing Reader-chan and Kuroo feel right now, because that's how bad they'll be hurting soon.  
> Mehehehe. I stan Suga and Reader-chan so much, idk why.  
> Who do you guys like more for R-chan??? Suga or Kuroo??????


	14. Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey heyyyy!  
> I got carried away writing chapter 18.  
> Omfg. I hope you guys like what I have planned  
> Also, my song for this chapter was "It's You" by Henry.  
> It's on the OST for While You Were Sleeping; a really amazing Korean drama.

The rest of their date was relatively uneventful after what had happened in front of the ice cream shop. Both (Y/n) and Kuroo had just settled for going window shopping, since neither of them were hungry… for food, that was.

It was during the train ride home that it started to rain—hard— and (y/n) looked out the window with a frown on her face, because she was going to ruin her leather jacket as well as her boots with all the water. She adjusted her right hand and felt Kuroo’s rough hand still laced with hers, making her smile and replace the frown that marred her lips. Suddenly, she didn’t care about her jacket or her boots at all.

“(Y/n),” the raven-haired man beside her called her attention quietly. She turned to him and quirked an eyebrow when she noticed that he was digging around in his pocket with his free hand.

Eventually, he pulled out a silver ring with a red gem on it, then held it out to her— upon closer inspection, she found that the gem was an oval garnet that was flanked by two small cubic zirconia. She had to thank her mother for teaching her how to tell gems apart, as she was one of those people who were flourishing in the jewelry industry; very small-scale, with her being the middle woman between a client and a jewelry smith.

She looked up at Kuroo, adopting a confused look on her face as she untangled her hand from his and took the ring between her index finger and thumb.

“I heard girls like that sort of thing, so I got it for you while you were checking out those books,” the middle blocker admitted softly, totally expecting her to comment about how she deserved something nicer and more expensive than a ring that set him back by 8500¥. He knew that she was used to nice things, being the daughter of her parents— who wanted only the best for their children, even if it meant working longer hours in faraway places— and he was about to take the ring back, when she spoke up.

“Thank you, Tetsurō,” she whispered, completely enamored with the ring as she slipped it on her right ring finger. “You even remembered my birthstone.”

His heart calmed down from its rapid beating, letting him return her smile with a nod. Now that he thought about it, it looked like he had given her an engagement ring— and he mentally patted himself on the back for that; now more people would know that she was **his** and his alone.

He didn’t dare tell her that realization, though, in case she got into one of her moods again and lashed out at him.

He knew that this wasn’t who he was, but he was coming to terms that this was the person that he was becoming for (Y/n).

 

***

 

“So, what now?” The (h/c) haired girl asked tauntingly, placing her hands on her hips as she looked up at the pouring rain from under the awning at the station exit. They still had to walk for five minutes to get to (Y/n)’s house so he could drop her off, and he really wasn’t looking forward to the trip back… unless…

A devilish smirk made its way on to his lips, and he almost rubbed his hands together in a sinister fashion when (Y/n) slapped his shoulder. Indignant, he turned to her with a glare. Even with all the things that she made him feel, she always managed to let either anger or irritation prevail.  “What?” 

“Well? You’re the genius who wanted to go out, now you have to get me home.” She was seriously pushing his buttons, and he was about to shut her up with one of the ways he preferred, when she brushed her hair back with her hand— flashing the ring that he’d given her— and his retort instantly fizzled away. This woman really was going to be the death of him.

Without really thinking about it, he leaned down and wrapped his arms around (Y/n)’s torso, being careful of the scar that he’d overheard her parents say started from the side of her belly button and went down to her lower abdomen.

She yelped loudly, clutching on to his shoulders for dear life as he went down the stairs and casually strolled down the streets in the pouring rain. “Tetsurō! Put me down!”

“You wanted a way to get home, well here it is,” Kuroo answered, a bit smug at his dumb solution, “We’re walking.”

Gently, he set her down on her feet, and she hit his arm with the back of her hand. If there was one thing he noticed, it was that she had become much more relaxed with him since the ice cream shop incident, and it gave him more ideas for future dates— more dates with her, that sounded good to him, if he was being honest.

(Y/n) clicked her tongue in irritation, wringing out her hair— even though it was useless with the pouring rain soaking her to the bone— and twisting it up into a knot on her head, which she proceeded to fasten with the tail ends of her locks. She then turned to her date, about to tell him how stupid his idea was, when she caught him staring so intently at her with a tender expression on his face; it made her feel like she was the only one that mattered to him in the world.

His hair was matted down with rain water, and his face was absolutely chilled from how cold it was, but he couldn’t care less as (e/c) eyes connected with his— practically melting his soul with how soft and warm they had become. Before he knew it, he was reaching out and cupping her face in his hands, eyes closing as he leaned down and captured her lips with his own in the most tender and heartfelt kiss he’d ever given.

Almost instantaneously, she responded to him— meeting his hungry kisses with her own while her shaky hands drifted up his toned torso, resting on his chest where she felt his racing heartbeat. It made her feel hope; hope that he could come to love her, and hope that she would find it in herself to give him another chance… hope that their relationship wasn’t doomed in the first place.

Out of breath, (Y/n) pulled away from the kiss, feeling his lips seeking hers out for more, but she felt that it needed to be said, “Tetsurō, you look like a drowned chicken.”

“ _Urusai_!” The middle blocker yelled indignantly as he pulled away from her, hands flying up to his hair in an effort to slick it back into a more acceptable style, but failed when some strands fell in his face again. He narrowed his eyes at the girl in front of him, then quirked an eyebrow at her when he saw the blush that colored her cheeks. “What is it now?”

“Nothing,” she mumbled, looking away from him and about to walk away when he caught her by the elbow and turned her to face him.

“Tell me.”

“I- it’s nothing.”

Deciding that he was fighting a losing battle, Kuroo decided to let it go, opting instead to hold (Y/n)’s hand again as they walked all the way to her house.

As discreetly as she could, (Y/n) stole a sideways glance at the man holding her hand. She just couldn’t help it; she was so drawn to him— like a moth to a flame— especially now with his hair like that. He looked so hot— hot enough to let him take her then and there— not that she would ever admit that to him; his ego was already big enough as it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who left a comment, especially to Oikawasbooty for the last one. <3  
> Also, thank you for the kudos and the bookmarks! I really, really appreciate them.  
> And I was thinking of introducing Oikawa into the story since he's my main bby.  
> But he really won't serve any purpose, so it would be a waste.  
> But... idk. I'm so confused.


	15. Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why, but this chapter had me blushing to the tips of my toes while I was writing this.  
> I know it's early, but I just had to post it before my sleeping pills kicked in.  
> Everyone keeps telling me that I update so fast...  
> My insomnia is the reason why.  
> I sleep at 5 AM and wake up at 8 AM.  
> So yeah.

“What were you two thinking?” A frantic voice practically screeched when (Y/n) entered her home with Kuroo behind her. “Dear _Kami-sama_ , give me the strength not to maim these children.”

“We didn’t have any umbrellas, mama,” (Y/n) answered, her tone playful but underlined by an accusatory quip as her mother raced out of the room to probably get some towels. She pointedly looked at the man still holding her hand, who just shrugged by way of defending himself. “And **someone** thought that it would be a good idea to just walk in the rain." 

The older woman walked back in the living room, brown eyes narrowed in mild irritation and worry which added to her stern aura with her deep purple hair up in a tight bun. She handed the towels in her arms to both Kuroo and her daughter, then proceeded to give them a piece of her mind, “What exactly made you two think that it would be a good idea?”

“ _Gomen_ , _okaa-san_ ,” Kuroo apologized, adopting such an innocent look on his face that it made (Y/n)’s upper lip curl up in distaste; surely, her mother wouldn’t fall for his fake apology. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”

With a heavy sigh, Kaori (L/n) looked up at her future son-in-law and she nodded. “Just don’t let it happen again, alright? Let me get you two a change of clothes. You can use the bathroom in Haruichi’s room, Tetsurō- _kun_.”

“I couldn’t impose on you like that,” Kuroo answered sweetly— too sweetly in (Y/n)’s opinion— and she knew that he was up to something.

Before her mother could answer, the younger (L/n) cut in, “Yeah, mama, Tetsurō has to get going now if he wants to catch the next train.”

“What kind of mother would I be if I sent my son-in-law back out in this weather? He’s staying the night, (Y/n),” Kaori stated adamantly, which had Kuroo smirking at (Y/n) and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. She could only roll her eyes at his antics. “Honestly, (Y/n), you two are going to be married soon.”

This was her chance to tell her mother about her decision not to push through with the engagement, and she was about to open her mouth and say something, when she felt Kuroo squeeze her hand gently, as if begging her to look at him; and she did. It was a big mistake for her, because he looked so arrestingly handsome that it made her heart hurt, and when she noticed how his eyes were basically **begging** her not to do it, she bit her tongue and looked away from him.

“I’m going to take a bath,” she whispered, pulling her hand from Kuroo’s before walking up the stairs to her room. A warm bath really did sound nice right now.

 

***

 

Once immersed in the warm water, (Y/n) closed her eyes and leaned her head against the edge of the tub— letting the memories from today just pass through her mind.

_Would it be like this with him? Will I be this happy if I give him a chance? What if he’s just doing this because he doesn’t want to let me go? What if he gets tired of me again and I’m back to square one? What about Kōshi?_

The last question had her opening her eyes and glaring at the bubbles on innocently floating on the surface of her bath water. She knew that it was unfair of her to keep Kōshi so close, but she made a promise— both to him and herself— that they would remain friends in spite of his feelings for her; she couldn’t just push him away, but she also knew that it would set Kuroo off to know that she was still keeping him close, which didn’t leave her much— or any— options at all.

And this engagement… just the thought of telling everyone and explaining her feelings towards it made her head hurt. On one hand she wanted to be free of the engagement, but on the other hand she wanted to stay with Kuroo because of the way he was acting now— like she was the most precious thing in his world.

_But what if it was just for now? Where would that leave me in 5… say, 10 years from now?_

She raised her left hand close to her face, letting the light glint off of the shiny gems on her ring as she admired it. One moment he was fighting with her, and the next he was giving her a ring; she could never tell what was on his mind, and it frustrated her to no end.

Her phone ringing from the bedroom brought her attention away from her own thoughts, and she stood up, gave herself a quick rinse, then wrapped her fluffy white bathrobe around herself before she made her way towards the little gadget on her nightstand. The caller ID displayed Kōshi’s name, and she couldn’t help but feel guilty because she hadn’t even remembered to reply to his last message from this morning.

“Hey,” (Y/n) greeted softly, cradling the phone to her ear as she walked over to the sliding doors leading to her balcony and closed the curtains— hiding her from the outside world.

“I was getting worried,” Sugawara answered with a chuckle. “I thought something happened to you.”

More guilt pooled in (Y/n)’s stomach making her feel worse than she did before, because here was someone who truly cared about her and she had just dropped him immediately for Kuroo.  “I’m sorry, Kōshi, I got caught up in something again and I couldn’t get out of it.”

“It’s fine. I was just worried, but it’s nice that you answered. Am I keeping you from something?”

He was just too sweet for his own good, and it made the (h/c) haired girl feel like scum for being unfair to him and his feelings— even when he said that he wanted this. She didn’t even know how she would react if it was her in his place; she would probably go crazy. “No. No, not really. I was just about to get ready to read before bed.”

She almost screamed bloody murder when she felt warm lips latch onto her neck and a hot tongue lave at her skin. She was about to turn around, but Kuroo’s hands settled themselves on either side of her waist, before trailing up her torso and eventually cupping her breasts— he squeezed them gently, smirking when he felt a shiver go through his fiancée’s body.

“You smell nice,” the raven-haired male complimented— voice rough and husky with lust that he didn’t even bother masking. “I could just eat you up.”

(Y/n) tried shaking his hands off of her—even though her body was totally against it— but he only pulled her flush against his body as he resumed kissing her neck and leaving love bites all over her skin; it was a good thing that it was their summer vacation, because he could do this all he wanted and she wouldn’t complain about having to wake up earlier to put make up on her hickeys.

“Oh really, what were you planning on reading?” Sugawara asked, genuinely curious about her book agenda for the night.

“This book about Greek Mythology, I- ah—” she blushed madly at the moan that left her lips, and she wrapped her hand around Kuroo’s wrist, trying to pull his right hand away from her breast. He pinched her nipple again, rolling it between his thumb and index finger, which made her knees go weak. “I was about to read my favorite myth on there.”

“Are you alright, (Y/n)? You sound a bit… breathless.”

“I’m fi- _ah_ ,” she couldn’t help her loud cry of pleasure when Kuroo brought his left hand down to her wet slit and toyed with her clit. He continued playing with her, taking pride in the way that her face was twisted in a euphoric expression as he pried her phone away from her hand and spoke into it.

“She’s a little occupied, Suga- _chan_ ,” he drawled lazily, teasing (Y/n) even further by inserting two fingers in her weeping entrance. Her loud moan echoed in the room, and he dropped the call before tossing the phone on her bed, letting her get used to his fingers as he planted kisses on her flushed cheek. “You look so beautiful around my fingers like that; I think I would die when I see you with my cock inside you.”

Slowly, he started moving his fingers; and only her pleasured mewls as well as the sound of his fingers pumping in and out of her wet heat were the only sounds that filled the room. Until… “Why did you do that?”

“Because he was in the way,” the middle blocker answered coolly, tamping down his irritation as he brought his fiancée to her first orgasm— toying with her nipples through her bathrobe all while thrusting his fingers inside her.

No words were said after that, only a loud, breathless moan that made Kuroo’s cock impossibly harder than it already was. Her pussy throbbed around his fingers in the aftermath of her orgasm, and he pulled them out of her before sitting her down at the edge of her bed— where he then proceeded to drape her legs over his bare shoulders, exposing her to his lustful gaze.

“Such a pretty little pussy,” he complimented, then gave a teasing lick to her clit which had her throwing her head back in ecstasy. “And it’s all mine.”

Without waiting for her reaction, Kuroo delved in; letting his tongue run up and down her slit and lick her previous orgasm off of her. He spread her open with his thumbs, inserting his tongue in her entrance and sucking— which had her bucking off of the bed and gripping his hair tightly.

“Tetsurō,” she mewled, losing herself to the way that the raven-haired man was eating her out; not caring about anything or anyone else— just this moment with him. She knew she shouldn’t do it, but she **wanted** it to happen; she was ready to lose her v-card to Kuroo. “Please.”

“Please what?” The captain asked curtly, eyes looking up at her but tongue still working her pussy so expertly.

“I want you.”

“To what?”

He nibbled on her clit, causing her to tug at his hair tighter as she was at the precipice of her second orgasm. “I want you to fuck me.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

 

***

 

He got up then, making (y/n) whimper at the loss of his mouth on her, and undid the towel at his waist— letting it fall to the ground and unabashedly exposing his rock hard dick to her. She was about to reach out and touch it, but he shook his head and pulled her up to stand instead. Slowly, he untied the sash from her waist and (Y/n) placed her shaky hands on top of his.

  
“I… my scar…” she whispered quietly, averting her gaze from him in shame. 

He gritted his teeth in anger then; not anger at her per se, but anger at the way that she was bringing herself down. “I don’t care.”

“But…”

He cut her off with a bruising kiss, tenderly cupping her face in his hands as he poured all his frustrations out into that single kiss. “I said I don’t care. You’re still you; that’s all I want.”

The confession sent (Y/n)’s heart lurching in her chest, and Kuroo smiled at her before pressing an affectionate kiss to her forehead. Gingerly, the (h/c) haired girl brought her hands to the sash around her waist, and hesitantly undid the knot— once that was done, she took a deep breath and looked into those golden eyes that she loved before pushing the robe off of her shoulders; exposing her body to the man before her.

It was all a blur for both of them after that; one moment they were at the foot of her bed, and the next Kuroo was on top of her, planting kisses all over her body and leaving more love bites along the way. He looked into her eyes for confirmation that she wanted to do this, and he received a shy nod that had him feeling even needier than before.

Kuroo positioned his cock at her opening, slowly pushing in and groaning when he felt how tight she was. He wasn’t even halfway inside her and he was already breathless; how much better would it feel when he was all the way in?

“ _Ah_ , Tetsurō,” (Y/n) mewled quietly, her hands clinging on to his back for purchase as he started lightly thrusting in and out to ease himself into her.

“Fuck, you’re so tight,” Kuroo groaned, letting his forehead rest against hers as he buried himself completely in her pussy. “So fucking tight.”

He didn’t know how long he stayed still, letting her get used to having him inside her, but he was taken aback when he opened his eyes to find that she was glaring up at him. He was about to ask her what was wrong when she said, “Are you going to start fucking me or not?”

A chuckle escaped his lips then, and he gripped her hips tight before roughly thrusting into her— making her gasp as her nails dug into his back. He enjoyed that immensely.

Continuously, he pounded into her; finding so much pleasure from how tight she was gripping his cock and how her nails kept scratching down his back. She met him thrust for thrust, throwing all decorum to the wind as she let out the most erotic moans that Kuroo had ever heard.

“Oh, fuck, (Y/n). I’m so close.”

“ _Hnn_ , Tetsurō. Harder, please.”

He didn’t know what he’d ever done to deserve (Y/n), but he was thanking all his lucky stars that they let him have her even though he knew deep down that he could never be enough for someone as perfect as her.

Kuroo was unrelenting, letting out moans and groans of his own as he tried to chase the release that he was craving. He reached down and let his thumb join the foray— playing with her clit which had her pussy throbbing around his cock, signaling him that she was so close.

Gradually, his pace picked up even more, until her headboard was thumping against the wall with how hard he was fucking her— but neither of them could care less. Both of them were close to orgasm, and each other was all that mattered. Kuroo opened his eyes then, watching the way that (Y/n)’s pussy was stretched around his cock— bringing him even closer to his orgasm with the sight of her pussy stretch to take his cock all the way inside— then his eyes trailed up her body, until it settled on her face: eyes closed, cheeks flushed, head thrown back in pleasure, and mouth parted as sounds of pleasure escaped her.

“Fuck, you’re perfect,” the raven-haired captain breathed out, leaning down and capturing one of her nipples in his mouth, which had the woman beneath him unrelentingly raking her fingernails down his back. He trapped with the little nub with his teeth, flicking it back and forth with his tongue— almost busting a nut when one of his lover’s hands made its way up into his hair and pulled.

Before (Y/n) knew it, her whole body tightened as her second orgasm wrought through her, consequently bringing Kuroo to his own release. He buried his cock as deep as he could into her, letting out a loud groan as well as a quiet string of profanities that was tacked off with (Y/n)’s name.

“So perfect,” Kuroo whispered breathlessly, before letting himself collapse on top of (Y/n) and using her breasts as pillows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... how was it?  
> Ah jeez, this one isn't my best smutty scene.  
> Don't worry, I'll try to be better.  
> So...more sins in the future?  
> Yay?  
> Thanks, guys! For the comments, kudos, and bookmarks. <3


	16. The Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey! I know I skipped a day.  
> I'm sorry. My parents had a dinner party at home yesterday...  
> And it got crazy when I brought out the Soju.  
> UwU  
> I was listening to "The Morning After" by Jem Cubil and Andrea Babierra while writing this.

Bright light flashed in his eyes, blinding Kuroo even in his sleep, which had him scowling as he opened his eyes and was greeted by the most wonderful sight in the world: an angel sleeping on his chest.

(Y/n) looked so peaceful while she slept, making his heart race in his chest just at the mere sight of her. She was blissfully naked beneath the sheets— letting him know that last night wasn’t a dream— and he took the chance to run his fingertips all over her back, writing his name on her skin every once in a while.

Involuntarily, a small smile crawled up to his lips as he basked in the “morning after” glory; very content to just stay in bed with her and cuddle all day if that was what she wanted. He was about to close his eyes and fall asleep when he felt something vibrating beneath his head.

As gently as he could— so as not to wake up his lover— he fished the gadget from underneath his pillow and tried not to lose his calm when he saw that it was Kenma who was calling (Y/n) so early in the morning. He answered the call immediately, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“Hey, uh, (Y/n). We were… the whole team was wondering if you’ve seen Kuroo,” Kenma’s morose tone washed over Kuroo, bathing him in a sudden coldness that had him bolting upright.

(Y/n) groaned irately, snuggling further into Kuroo’s chest even though they were already sitting up on her bed. The raven-haired male wrapped an arm around her shoulder to keep her from falling off his chest, then answered Kenma as quietly as he could, “It’s me. What’s up?”

“You’re late for practice.”

“Fuck,” the middle blocker cursed, looking down at the girl cuddling with him, then at the clock on the bedside table— it was already 9:30 AM, and he was supposed to be at school at 8:30. “I… fuck, I’ll be there in an hour.”

With that, he dropped the call and turned to (Y/n), pressing a kiss to the top of her head before laying her back down on the bed as gently as he could. She didn’t wake up—thankfully— so it made him think that she was either too tired from last night— _kudos to him and his ego_ — or she was a naturally **very** deep sleeper. He didn’t want to leave her, but he had to take up her mother’s offer to let him choose clothes from Haruichi’s closet.

He reluctantly climbed out of the warm bed, throwing on the bath robe that (Y/n) was wearing last night, before heading for the door. When he opened the door, however, he was met with a pleasant but confusing surprise: his training bag was there in all its glory as well as his clothes from last night all washed, dried, and folded— plus his phone on top of all his clothes; and when he checked the contents of said bag, he found that it had everything that he needed for the day.

Almost immediately, he dashed over to (Y/n)’s adjoining bathroom and got dressed into his training clothes, throwing the white robe into the hamper behind the bathroom door. He checked his reflection in the mirror above her sink, and smirked when he saw a hickey on the junction where his neck met his shoulder— he had no idea that his fiancée also had the urge to mark what was rightfully hers. Shaking his head to clear his head of lascivious thoughts, he rummaged through her drawers to look for a spare toothbrush and he almost jumped in triumph when he found a brand new one stashed at the very back of one of them.

Once he was done brushing his teeth, he re-entered (Y/n)’s bedroom, casting a glance at her sleeping form on the bed and debating with himself whether he should leave without kissing her for now— for once, the sentimental side of him won and he padded over to where she was and leaned over her to plant a kiss against her lips, then her cheeks, and then her forehead. He didn’t know what kind of spell he was under, but he certainly wasn’t complaining.

 

***

 

Kuroo was just about to bolt out the door when he heard Kaori (L/n) call his name. He turned back to face his future mother-in-law and smiled sheepishly at her— he could tell just from her expression that she **knew** what he had been doing with her daughter all night… not that they were trying to be quiet about it, especially during the second round— the things (Y/n) could do with her tongue… if he didn’t know any better, he would think that she’d had practice before him.

“ _Okaa_ -s _an_ , _ohayou_ ,” he began unsurely, lingering by the front door in case he needed to bolt when she started throwing things at him for taking her daughter’s innocence— though that was highly unlikely, as he recalled her comment about using condoms yesterday. 

“I called your dad yesterday evening and told him that you were going to be spending the night here, and he said that you have volleyball training this morning, so he dropped your bag off,” the older woman explained coolly, regarding him with a warm smile that unsettled him even more than her sharp eyes. This woman was a force to be reckoned with, just like her daughter. “You better get going, then. I’ll tell (Y/n) that you had to leave early.”

“I… I’ll text her on my way there,” he answered softly, turning the doorknob behind him and bowing deeply to the older woman before him. “Thank you, _oba_ - _chan_.”

With that, he rushed out of her home, practically running all the way to Nekoma as he typed out a quick text to his fiancée:

 

  

 

> _Sorry I had to leave early. You were amazing last night._
> 
> _Let’s go for 3 rounds tonight? >:P_

 

He could just imagine the look on her face when she reads the text; it was a shame that he couldn’t be there to see it.

“ _Oi_ , captain!” Lev’s annoying voice cut into his musings, making him scowl as he turned to face the tall half-Russian. He was all sweaty from running, and he assumed that they must have been doing some road work instead of running inside the school grounds. “ _H-ha! Nani_!? What’s that on your neck, Kuroo- _san_!?”

He quirked an eyebrow at his _kouhai_ , until he realized what he was talking about and smirked. “Something that you will probably never get, Lev.”

“Did another girl give that to you? (Y/n)- _san_ ’s going to be so mad.”

“What the- _boke_! Why would I cheat on my fiancée?” Kuroo bellowed, completely affronted, as he raised a hand up and smacked Lev upside the head. “That’s an extra 10 minutes for you!”

“But, captain!” Lev whined.

“You don’t want me to make it 15, Lev.”

“Kuroo! _Oi_! Don’t be so rough on Lev when you have to do the late penalty,” Yaku called out from a distance, running towards where his taller teammates were standing. Kuroo’s face paled, and he felt his heartbeat pounding in his ears at the tension that he felt.

“Do I really have to do it?” Now it was Kuroo’s turn to whine.

Yaku nodded, a smug grin on his lips for having one on his captain this time; he thought of it as payback for that time on the bus— he felt a chill run through his spine just at the memory of it. “You know the rules— unless you have a perfectly reasonable excuse for being late and not telling anyone?”

The raven-haired male just narrowed his eyes at his two teammates laughing at him, clicking his tongue in irritation before pursing his lips. He didn’t have a good excuse to ditch the penalty; not if they accepted the reason for his tardiness was because he was up all night making (Y/n) scream his name as he fucked her to her nirvana. It was so tempting to him to just ditch practice altogether today and get started on round 3 with his lover, but he was already here.

“So, what’s your excuse, Kuroo?” Yaku teased, chuckling before he choked on his own spit when his eyes zeroed in on the bruise on the raven-haired middle blocker’s neck. Immediately, a blush crawled up his face and he looked away from the love bite—trying to shake the image from his mind and failing miserably.

 

***

 

Everyone’s reactions were almost identical that it wasn’t funny by the fifth time that it happened; Kuroo found it frustrating then, and he wished that he had taken the time to cover up the hickey this morning in (Y/n)’s bathroom, because everyone was acting like such prudes— as if they were all saints themselves. Maybe the first years, and Kenma, but everyone else? He doubted that they had never received such marks before.

He was just grateful to have some time to himself, even if it was to do his penalty: 20 minutes of road work, 2 sets of sprints, 15 push-ups, and a full minute of planking. Kuroo had only done the penalty once before when he was a second year, when he had been scouring the whole school for (Y/n) to give her some treats that his grandmother had made especially for her. The curses that ricocheted in his brain back then were too cringe-worthy to even think about, but now… his mind was peacefully blank— so different from how it was a year ago.

By the time that he was done with his penalty, he was breathless with sweat literally dripping off of his face. He took a swig of water from his sports bottle— sighing in satisfaction when the cool liquid hit his parched mouth— and he took the time to check his phone for any replies from (Y/n).

His heart started beating faster in his chest when he saw her name on his lock screen, and his fingers deftly opened her reply.

 

 

> _Urusai, baka!_
> 
> _Are you always this lewd? Baka hentai!_

A loud laugh escaped him then, which had his team mates looking over from the other side of the gym where they were having their 10-minute break. He shook his head, with a huge grin now on his lips, as he typed back a reply.

 

 

 

> _Only with you, (Y/n)._
> 
> _That wasn’t what you were saying last night tho._
> 
> _I remember hearing, “I want your cock in me, Tetsurō.”_

He could just see the blush on her face right now; it was one of the things that he was recently finding pleasure in seeing, it was laughable.

  

 

> _Maybe it was the demon following you around._

He typed back:

 

 

> _The only demon with me is me._
> 
> _Your pussy’s so fucking tight, (Y/n)._
> 
> _I can’t wait to have my cock inside you again._

  

 

> _Same._

His eyes widened at her reply, and he almost drowned with his water as he was taking another drink when he read the message. He cleared his throat, even going as far as to thump his chest with his fist to clear his airways, before he started laughing so loudly that everyone in the gym thought that he was slowly starting to lose his sanity.

 

  

> _WAIT. THAT WASN’T MEANT FOR YOU._
> 
> _IT WAS MEANT FOR YURI._
> 
> _BAKA!_

He was about to type in another reply, but decided against it since teasing her in person would be better than doing it through texts. Locking his phone, he pressed the button again so that he could admire his recent wallpaper: the one of her laughing in front of the ice cream parlor yesterday, and he couldn’t hold back the tender expression that crossed his face.

Maybe he really was going crazy; so wonderfully crazy over (Y/n), which scared him and thrilled him at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... the day after?  
> Thanks for all the kudos and bookmarks!  
> What do you guys think so far? Good? Bad?  
> Comments are greatly appreciated.  
> xx


	17. Proposition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much words.  
> Enjoy?  
> I guess.  
> Reviews are greatly appreciated! xx

With Summer break approaching its last legs, most students were getting ready to start school again— rearranging their things and doing some minor cleaning in their backpacks to get ready for the next term. Not (Y/n) and her family, though— they were just getting ready to go on a short vacation to visit their family up in Miyagi.

Which was the optimum chance to come clean with her decision to end the engagement; however, unexpected circumstances have come up along the way and confused the youngest (L/n) even more. She knew that sleeping with Kuroo was a double-edged sword, yet she still pushed through with it and now here she was: lying miserably in her bed with a half-packed duffel bag at the foot of her bed.

It had been exactly four days since **it** happened, but the love bites all over (Y/n)’s body and the dull throbbing in between her hips made her feel like it had just happened the day before. Round 3 never happened, fortunately—or unfortunately— as both herself and Kuroo had been busy with getting their own club activities sorted before **they** went on the 2-day trip to her grandparents’ place.

Yes, the raven-haired captain was coming along with them— which was one source of her trepidation when she used to be so excited for these family trips— and that didn’t really spell an amazing time because a.) Kuroo frustrated her to no end— both mentally and physically, b.) Kōshi lived just a few minutes away from the farm, c.) she was already occupied with her inner turmoil about what to tell her family, and d.) having both of them in one place was just begging for more confusion. 

Sighing heavily, she sat back up on her bed and resumed packing her things— leaving the books she was going to bring for last to keep them in their pristine condition. She was doing some more reading for the literary club, since her job was to research books to read and discuss at school. 

“(Y/n), are you decent? Hopefully not,” Kuroo’s familiar voice rang from the other side of the door before he let himself in. He plopped himself down beside her and started nuzzling his lips against her neck. “Your mom was preparing a kimono downstairs. Is she going to a wedding?”

“It’s for me,” she answered, setting a hand on his chest and gently pushing him away. He relented, thankfully. “I have to take an _Ikebana_ class with _baa-chan_ tomorrow, and you know how traditional she is.”

The middle blocker smirked, shrugging his shoulders and letting himself fall back against her mountain of pillows. “I’m going to have so much fun taking that thing off of you.”

She pretended not to hear him, settling instead for zipping up her bag to hide the redness on her cheeks.

Silence prevailed upon them, with her checking the pockets of her duffel bag for all that she needed to bring for the trip, and Kuroo just staring intently at her with his hands behind his head. The raven-haired male recalled why he had instantly agreed to go on this trip: to continue persuading (Y/n) to change her mind about their engagement, and because Sugawara was there. He wanted to be there to fend him off of the woman who made him crazy with feelings he couldn’t quite comprehend.

“I think we need to talk,” he began seriously, sitting up and crossing his legs to get more comfortable on her bed— the same bed that they’d fucked on.

(Y/n) quirked an eyebrow at Kuroo, then joked, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you were breaking up with me.”

“Only if I knew that I couldn’t make you happy, (Y/n).” The answer was said so quietly yet so sincerely that it made the (h/c) haired girl freeze on the spot. She could tell how hard this was for her lover, judging from his tense shoulders and tight jaw; so, she took pity on him and listened— even though the old him hadn’t even given her the time of the day back then. She wasn’t like that; she couldn’t do that to him no matter how tempting it was.

She remained still, just waiting for him to continue; and Kuroo appreciated that immensely.

“I know I’ve been such a dick to you in the past, but please… I don’t want to lose you,” he admitted sincerely, taking a deep breath to summon the courage to keep going with telling her the thoughts that have been racing through his mind in the past few days. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Please give me some time, and if you’re still not happy with me, then I’ll let you go without a fight.”

The confession had her heart twisting painfully in her chest— it was the most selfish yet selfless thing that she had heard him say, and it did quite a number on her feelings; it harped at her heartstrings, even though it wasn’t the apology that she had expected to hear. She tossed and turned his words around in her head, weighing the pros and cons of agreeing to his proposition until she came to the conclusion that the pros outweighed the cons, most notably striking letter c off of her list of concerns for this trip.

She would be lying if she said that she didn’t want to give him another chance; and here were the gods offering her an inch of reprieve from the whole mile of confusion that she had.

“Alright.”

The light that brightened up his golden eyes were enough to take her breath away, and she felt elation wash over her for being the one that made him react the way he did.

 

***

 

“I didn’t know that you listened to this kind of music, Haru- _chan_ ,” Kuroo mused quietly from his seat next to (Y/n)’s brother who was driving the car that had just the three of them, since both Kaori and Hirotaka (L/n) had too much items to bring their relatives and had to use the back seat as well, so now they were riding in Haruichi’s car.

“(Y/n) was the one who put it in my playlist, and I just ended up liking it,” Haruichi answered, chuckling as he talked about _Hanare Rarehen Nen_ by  _Masaru ft. Mison B_. “She has a very… diverse taste in music.”

Swiveling in his seat, Kuroo turned to look at his fiancée with surprise written all over his features. He was pleasantly surprised that she didn’t just listen to bubblegum pop like all the other girls. “You listen to this kind of music?”

She quirked an eyebrow at him, taking offense in his tone, then reached out and flicked his forehead with her thumb and forefinger. “Am I not allowed to?”

Kuroo scowled at her, rubbing his forehead with his fingertips and immediately thinking of a way to get back at her. “I was just asking.”

“Play nice, children,” Haruichi chimed playfully, not taking his eyes off the road as he reached in to the cup holder beside him and took a pocky stick from their snack stash. “ _Ne_ , (Y/n), you think Hachiko will still be there? We haven’t been back in two years. You’d like him, Tetsurō- _kun_.”

“Who’s Hachiko?” The raven-haired male asked, turning to the older male beside him. He took the time to study his features—which were very sharp and masculine, but was balanced out by his ashy blonde hair that made him look like one of those J-Pop idols. If he got bored of pursuing his career as a physicist, he could become an idol instead— he certainly had the face for it, in Kuroo’s opinion.

“He’s our grandparents’ dog,” (Y/n) answered from her seat in the back, reaching forward and grabbing a handful of gummy bears from the cup holder beside Kuroo. He had to hold back a laugh at the sight of (Y/n) and her older brother, since no one would be even think that they weren’t siblings with the way they snacked; he noticed that they sure did like their sweets, based on all the sweet snack items that they had brought from their house.

One would think that they were going to be driving for 2 days instead of 5 hours with the sheer amount of food that they had. Did he have to learn how to snack like them if he was going to be a permanent member of their family? The thought worried and amused him at the same time.

(Y/n) swallowed the bears in her mouth before asking aloud, “How long until we get there, _nii_ - _chan_?”

“I don’t know. Maybe two more hours.”

“Ah, that’s too long. My legs are already cramping up. Drive faster.”

“Then you drive.”

“Uh, I can’t, Mr. I-study-at-Todai. I thought you were the smart one in the family?”

“I still am. Have you seen your Math grade? Have **you** seen that appalling grade of hers, Tetsurō? I thought I was going to faint when I saw it.”

Kuroo laughed then, finding their argument so amusing and so petty; making him thankful that he didn’t have any siblings because he would surely just provoke them until they became insane.

“It’s not funny! My calculator was messed up; it said that 5 plus 4 was 10! You’re seriously taking his side?” (Y/n) asked, balking even more when Kuroo started laughing harder at her expense.

  
“This is why they have special calculators for people like you, (Y/n),” Haruichi quipped, joining in with his future brother-in-law’s laughter. “You know, the big ones for your gorilla-hands.” 

The only girl in the car blushed madly at her brother’s teasing comment, reaching out to him and pulling his ear roughly. “You better sleep with one eye open tonight.” Then she turned to Kuroo who was grinning from ear to ear. “And you… oh, you.”

 

***

 

After another hour of being on the road, (Y/n) was practically begging her brother to let her stretch her legs; and Haruichi— being the loving and caring brother that he was— pulled into the parking area of a ramen shop. “I was getting kind of hungry, too,” the older male commented idly, unbuckling his seatbelt and popping a couple of pieces of gummy bears into his mouth.

Had Kuroo only heard about how much the (L/n) siblings ate, he wouldn’t have believed it since he **had** eaten with them before and he’d seen how they ate with their families; and he’d also seen (Y/n) eat back at the camp, but it wasn’t this… copious. Yet, here was the proof— getting out of the car with chocolate candies in their pockets that would be enough to make their dentist cry. Idly, he followed behind his fiancée.

“You have a look on your face,” said fiancée stated softly, pointing to her own face as she quirked her eyebrows at the raven-haired man in front of her. “Like I’m doing something unthinkable.”

He didn’t dare answer since he still wanted to live until Nationals. So, he just shook his head with a tight smile on his lips— looking on as his future brother-in-law entered the restaurant without them.

“Is it how much I’m eating? I know I’m eating a lot, you can tell me,” (Y/n) smiled up at him, albeit a little coy. “It’s just how I bond with Haru- _nii_ - _chan_. We never really liked much of the same things while growing up, so we just ate sweets together when mama and papa weren’t around.”

The explanation made Kuroo grin and nod in understanding, reaching up and taking (Y/n)’s chin between his thumb and forefinger to tilt her face up to meet his. He’d been craving to kiss her ever since they got in the car with Haruichi, but he didn’t want to push his luck for this day; he wanted to get to Miyagi with all his appendages still attached, if that wasn’t asking for too much.

Slowly, reluctantly, he pulled away from her lips, which had her opening her eyes in confusion. (E/c) irises met gold ones, and Kuroo could only grin when he saw the lust in those sultry eyes of hers. “I want you so bad right now.”

He wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or not, but her words had his blood flowing so rapidly down to his cock that he was surprised that a blood vessel didn’t burst. His breathing grew heavy with want, and he debated whether to do it and risk getting found out— possibly getting murdered by (Y/n)’s brother in the process, or to just throw caution to the wind and give them what they both obviously wanted.

In the end, his libido won.

Kuroo grabbed the (h/c) haired girl’s hand tightly, quickly surveying the area to look for a relatively secluded place to slake their lust for each other. Once he saw a narrow alley just a few meters away from the ramen shop, he wasted no time in bringing both of them there and pressing his lips hungrily to (Y/n)’s as he cornered her to the wall.

Chests heaving, tongues playing with each other’s, and hands occupied with drifting underneath clothes to touch skin, (Y/n) and Kuroo were alone in their own little bubble. The middle blocker let his hands drift down to the hem of his lover’s skirt before trailing it up and under the flimsy piece of clothing so he could caress her thighs and tease her clothed cunt.

(Y/n) moaned into Kuroo’s mouth when said man pushed her underwear to the side before running his fingers all over her wet slit, finding purchase on her clit where he proceeded to pinch it before rapidly flicking it back and forth in a cycle that drove her wild; and before she knew it, he was thrusting two fingers in her and playing with her clit, while his other hand simultaneously played with her nipples underneath her haphazardly lowered bra cups, quickly bringing her to her first orgasm.

“Please, Tetsurō,” she mewled, cupping the bulge in Kuroo’s pants before letting her hand slide up beneath his shirt so that she could scratch his defined abdominal muscles with her long nails and leave angry red lines in their wake. The volleyball captain could only groan in pleasure as (Y/n) did it again. “Please.”

“Please what? You have to tell me, _hime-sama_ ,” he whispered breathlessly as he claimed her lips once more. “Tell me.”

“I want your cock in my pussy.” The words were said so meekly that he had to bite back a smirk, but he still couldn’t hide the fact that her filthy words made him more desperate for her. With one more kiss to her lips, he pulled his right hand out of her wet cunt and proceeded to free his cock from its confines.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he instructed softly, letting his left hand drift down to the small of her back so that he could pin her to the wall with his hips. She followed him, cradling his body between her legs while her arms wrapped themselves around his shoulders so she could hold on for dear life when he started fucking her. “Good girl.”

Wasting no more time—firstly because he was so hard up to be in that tight cunt of hers, and also because they could get caught at any given moment— he moved her panties to the side before sinking himself down to the hilt in her wet heat. Both of them moaned at the action— then Kuroo placed a hand over his lover’s mouth—while the other made its way back to her breast and resumed playing with her pert nipples— as he began relentlessly pounding into her, which had her crying out his name in so much pleasure.

He pulled back so he could look at her face that was twisted in such a lewd and euphoric expression that it had him pounding harder into her cunt which, in turn, had her screaming out muffled cries of ecstasy against his palm. Gods help him, he was enjoying this so much that he knew that he would never be the same if she ever left him; he was so deep into her now that he **knew** that he would go crazy without her.

When her cries quieted down to mewls, he removed his hand from her mouth and placed it at the base of her throat, framing her slender neck so beautifully. He squeezed a little, testing out her reaction to choking, and he almost collapsed to the ground when her pussy squeezed his cock so wonderfully. “You’re mine, (Y/n). Mine. Look at me.” 

She opened her eyes, looking directly at him and feeling her lust escalate even more at the sheer intensity and warmth in those golden irises. She couldn’t hold the words back, no matter how bad she wanted to keep them to herself, “Yes. I’m yours, Tetsurō. Only yours.”

Kuroo smashed his lips against hers, hiding the fact that he had been touched by her admission; then he started to pump faster into her, feeling the telltale throbbing in her cunt that told him that she was about to cum. One, two, three thrusts later she was hugging him tightly as her release wracked through her body.

Languidly, she met his feverish thrusts, helping him reach his release as well. And not even a minute later, his hips pushed into her and stilled as he bathed her walls with his hot cum.

Kuroo didn’t pull out of her yet, instead he wrapped his arms around her waist—while she still clung on to him— and rested his cheek against her right shoulder, kissing the skin near his lips every once in a while.

“I love you,” he quietly admitted; so silent and garbled that even he had a hard time hearing himself; but it rang true, even though he couldn’t admit the words aloud to her, because the last thing that he wanted was for her to think that he was only saying it because of their agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh. Finally. An admission from Kuroo. UwU  
> Anyways, I'll be gone for a couple of days, but I'll try to update when I can.  
> I basically trashed the chapters I had because they didn't seem good enough.  
> Plus, some of the things I had written down on those chapters harped at my moral compass, so I had to change them.  
> Any comments or suggestions will be very helpful right now. Thoughts? Please and thank you. >:)


	18. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise the wifi gods up here.  
> They actually have a nice connection up in the mountains.  
> Anyways, enjoy... >:D

“Ah, fresh air,” (Y/n) inhaled deeply, choking on her own saliva when she overdid the action. She pounded her chest as she tried to get her bearings.

She looked around the courtyard that was flanked by trees, disappearing behind a particularly tall tree as she spoke. “It’s just as I remember it. I wonder if _oji-san_ kept the- IT’S STILL HERE.”

Kuroo practically jumped out of his skin when she shrieked— a full-out shriek like it came from a distraught banshee—before she popped back out with the most hideous doll that he’d ever seen… if it could even be considered a doll with the state it was in. Its black hair was hacked to uneven clumps on its head, it was also completely naked, one of its arms once belonged to a red Power Ranger, and both of its legs were the glued on legs of a Gundam.

“Gundam Power Barbie!” Both (Y/n) and her brother chorused, fawning over the worn out toy as if it was the most precious thing in the world; he didn’t get it, or maybe it was the city boy in him talking. He’d solely grown up in the city while the siblings before him had spent most possible vacations here ever since they were born; or maybe that was the case for Haruichi— he knew from his grandparents that (Y/n) had lived here with her father’s parents because her mother’s parents had died a month after she was born and, the grief was too much for Kaori that she couldn’t take care of both a toddler and an infant at the same time.

“I knew my _Hihi_ was here when I heard that gods-forsaken screech,” an elderly man stated idly as he stepped through the open shoji and out into the courtyard.

(Y/n) bounced on her feet, practically launching herself at the old man that had the same hair color as her, all while squealing with happiness. “ _Oji-san_! You’re still alive!”

Kuroo balked at his fiancée’s statement, only managing to blink rapidly as he watched (Y/n)’s grandfather retaliate by hitting the top of his granddaughter’s head with his knuckles. He had never seen her this happy or outspoken back in Tokyo and, it made him happy that he had agreed to go on this trip even if he did miss out on training, because he got to see this side of her. It was clearly obvious that she loved her grandparents a great deal.

The (h/c) haired girl cried out in pain before rubbing the sore spot on her head. “Not in front of Tetsurō, _oji_ - _san_.”

At the sound of Kuroo’s name, Itsuki (L/n) looked up at the raven-haired male— pinning him with those shrewd eyes that were exactly the same shade as Haruichi’s eyes— before pointing at him in a rather rude manner. He felt his heart skip a bit, just half expecting the old man to pull out a _katana_ and point it at his throat for stealing his granddaughter’s virtue out of wedlock... or maybe he was just letting his imagination get the better of him.

“You!” Itsuki bellowed, making him swallow thickly as he tamped down the fear gnawing at his conscious. He had half the mind to run, until... “Come here and give your _oji-san_ a hug. It’s so nice to see my grandson-in-law again; it’s been three years, boy.”

The middle blocker hesitated, until he felt Haruichi nudge him forward. Thankfully, he didn’t have to move much because Itsuki had come up and practically picked him up in a bear hug; which was quite a feat since he was the same age as his grandfather.

“Have you been taking care of my _Hihi_ , child?” The old man inquired, letting Kuroo go and regarding him shrewdly with those sharp eyes of his, like that of his grandson’s. 

“Stop calling me a _Hihi_ , _oji-san_! Do I still look like a baboon _yōkai_ to you?” (Y/n) pouted indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest as she narrowed her eyes at her grandfather— the toy from earlier still clutched tightly in her left hand.

From where he stood by Kuroo, Haruichi let out a laugh as his grandfather answered, “You don’t, but you sure do sound like one.”

“Nice one, _oji-san_ ,” Haruichi commended, giving the old man a high five before hugging him. “I missed you so much; I almost forgot how much fun we have when we go here.”

Silently, Itsuki just hugged back his grandson, ruffling said grandson’s ashy blonde hair before turning back to Kuroo. He rather preferred that he was occupied by his grandchildren’s antics, because his stare just set his nerves on fire. “My son told me that you missed training to come here with my _Hihi_. If you want, I can set up something with the high school nearby; I think you know of them: Karasuno?”

Kuroo nodded, sincerely appreciating the old man’s offer but unsure if he really wanted to train with Karasuno without his teammates present… and there was that matter with Sugawara that he hadn’t settled yet. He was about to decline the generous offer, but he panicked and said, “Yeah, I know them. Thank you, _oji-san_. That would be great.”

“But, _Oji-san_ , I was going to show Tetsurō how to milk a goat; so that those delicate city boy hands can get tougher” (Y/n) interjected loudly, letting a slight country drawl drip into her tone.

“(Y/n)!” A stern voice chided from inside the house, and an old woman who donned a yukata stepped out into the courtyard with everyone. “Is that how a lady behaves? And let go of that… thing.”

(Y/n) winced exaggeratedly, before sheepishly smiling and traipsing up to her grandmother to wrap her arms around those frail shoulders before swaying from side to side— moving the old woman along with her. “I missed you, _oba-chan_. Didn’t you miss your favorite granddaughter— the most beautiful girl in Miyagi?”

The elderly woman couldn’t resist, her stern expression was replaced with a fond one as a smile tugged at her lips. Honoka (L/n) leaned her head against her granddaughter’s, letting her stern façade melt away for the moment. “How have you been, my _ningyō_? Have you been using that cream I sent you for your scar?”

Kuroo could tell just through their interactions that (Y/n)’s grandparents really loved her a lot, it made him a tad bit jealous, but that was entirely his fault because he balked at the pet names that his grandparents had tried giving him when he was younger, until they just gave up trying to make him accept their affection.

“I’m fine, _oba-chan_ ; and yes, it’s going to be as smooth as a baby’s butt with all the herbs you put in there,” (Y/n) answered, pressing a kiss to her grandmother’s cheek before adding, “Also, I brought Tetsurō with me.”

 _Great. Another inquisition._ Kuroo thought bitterly as he felt Honoka’s eyes on him, not unlike the way her husband had practically grilled him alive with his stare. _Thanks, (Y/n)._

 

***

 

“Tetsurō’s grown up to be such a fine young man,” Honoka commented idly as she fastened her granddaughter’s hair to a high ponytail with a _sakura_ hairpiece. She looked at the vanity mirror in front of them and silently admired how wonderfully (Y/n) had turned out despite what had happened a few months ago. 

(Y/n) only hummed in agreement, going back to her tamer persona now that the excitement at seeing her grandparents again had simmered down to a manageable amount. She was extremely happy to be back here, since this was where she had grown up. It was something that she didn’t like thinking about as it was all in the past and that her parents had meant well, but she still felt a twinge of pain when she remembered how they practically gave her away.

Her parents had tried to make it up to her when she was five and was living with them in Tokyo, but it took quite some time for her to warm up to them. Now, everything was fine, between them— all the bad blood forgiven, yet she still didn’t have the same closeness to them as she did with her grandparents.

She shook the unwanted thoughts out of her head, instead focusing on how her grandmother was adjusting the collar of the pink kimono that she was wearing. It certainly looked pretty with the white _sakura_ designs on the sleeves as well as at the hem of the garment, then tied off with a purple and red _obi-age_ that had a gold _obi-jime_ ; very appropriate for an _Ikebana_ class.

A knock sounded against the wooden frame of the _shōji_ , snapping the two women out of their reveries as the door opened to reveal Kuroo with a frustrated look on his face. (Y/n) quirked an eyebrow at her fiancé, not wanting to say anything in case whatever was bothering him was a private matter that he wanted to keep between the two of them— like their sex life.

Her body warmed up at the memory from earlier, and she bit her bottom lip as she closed her legs tightly to ease some of the pressure that she felt between her legs.

Golden eyes looked right at hers through the mirror, and suddenly it was just them in their own little world. (Y/n) vaguely heard her grandmother make her leave with a haphazard remark of being pure before marriage over her shoulder. It was too late for that.

“You look beautiful,” Kuroo commented softly, standing behind (Y/n) while she sat in front of the vanity, as he placed his hands on her shoulders— kneading the muscles there before letting one hand drift up to her cheek where he caressed the soft skin with the backs of his fingers.

His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest just at the sight of her. She truly was the most beautiful girl in both Tokyo and Miyagi, he would admit; he even forgot what had frustrated him so badly in the first place— that was how smitten he was.

“Thank you,” she answered as she leaned in to his touch and brought her left hand up to hold the hand that was on her shoulder. “But what’s wrong? You looked like you wanted to punch someone earlier.”

Immediately, Kuroo’s good mood evaporated as the memory flashed through his mind— making him shudder involuntarily which, truthfully, worried (Y/n). She was about to ask him again, but he spoke up, “Your grandfather made me help him feed the chickens.”

At the admission, (Y/n) couldn’t help but laugh loudly at her fiancé— that unladylike laugh that earned her _Hihi_ nickname from her grandfather. She felt like she was going to die from laughter at the image of Kuroo inside the chicken coop that was barely tall enough to let her stand up when she used to feed the chickens with Kōshi when she was 6 and he was 7.

“It’s not funny!” Kuroo pouted, raising the hand that was on her face to flick her forehead— which had her pursing her lips in an effort to hold back her laughter, but didn’t really work as more raucous laughter escaped her mouth. “They practically attacked me!”

“Maybe they thought you were a new rooster or something!” (Y/n) was now doubled over in laughter, face red at the intensity she was laughing and tears at the corners of her eyes. “I can’t believe I’m going to have to fight chickens for you, Tetsurō.”

“ _Urusai_!” He yelled indignantly, pulling her up from her seat and turning her around to face him before shutting her up with a hot and heavy kiss that was filled with tongue. Kuroo cupped her face in his hands and pulled her closer, letting his tongue play with hers before retreating it back into his mouth so that she would follow. When her tongue did seek his own out, he took the opportunity to clamp his teeth down on her tongue roughly— which had her yelping and pushing him away.

“ _Baka, Tetsurō! Baka!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just another fun and fluffy chapter before the big guns. >:)  
> Thank you for the comments, kudos, and bookmarks! They are greatly loved. <3  
> Also, do you guys have any suggestions for sad/angry/emotional music?  
> My current **Retrouvailles Playlist** on Spotify just isn't cutting it anymore for this story.  
>  I was going to put in Ed Sheeran, but I need something that's a bit angry; not... just sad.  
> So, any song recommendations will be so amazing. <3


	19. Sorry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said that I was going to be gone...  
> I expected there to be no wifi, but there is...  
> so it's like I never left. Lolomg.  
> Besides, I hate waiting for a new chapter to be up as much as the next person.  
> So... here. >:)

The _Ikebana_ class was a nightmare straight from hell for (Y/n), not only because she didn’t have the patience for it, but also because she didn’t have the eye for it. She went home that night with an arrangement that looked like it came from a dumpster— maybe a dumpster arrangement would look even better than what she did.

As quietly as she could, she closed the _shōjo_ to her room and almost jumped out of her skin when she saw a figure sitting outside on the _engawa_. “You scared me, Tetsurō.”

The raven-haired male leaned back further on his hands and lazily swiveled his head to look at his fiancée. His eyes widened at the… thing in her hands, and he pointed at it. “Did someone give you that… thing?”

“Who would give this to me at 10 in the evening? The goats? This isn’t Tokyo, Tetsurō; 8:30 here is practically midnight.”

Kuroo shrugged, beckoning (Y/n) over to him and patting the empty space beside him so she would sit down— she did, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders while pressing light kisses against her cheek. “Maybe it was Suga- _chan_ — how should I know?”

(Y/n) rolled her eyes, leaning further into his kisses and glancing at him from the corners of her eyes. “Can we not, please? Not tonight. I already feel bad as it is— I made this… this garbage. The other ladies were so good at _ikebana_ but I didn’t know what to do. I felt so horrible while I was there."  
  
“Who cares if you can’t arrange flowers? You’re not going to become a florist anyway.” His arm tightened around her, pulling her closer to him before he pressed a tender kiss to her right temple. “Maybe you’re talented in something else, like playing an instrument… or maybe a less-vigorous sport like Go?”

There was nothing but the sound of crickets filling the cold night air, until both of them started laughing. When (Y/n)’s laughter simmered down to giggles, she leaned her head against the raven-haired male’s shoulder as she toyed with the flower piece in her lap. “Me? Playing Go? Maybe when I’m sixty.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Kuroo answered softly, while taking the arrangement from her and setting it down on his lap. “Maybe if you took the bamboo things out and placed them like this— and put the orchid over here— and put the lilies right here. And what’s this little thing called? It looks like a violet.”

To say that she was surprised with Kuroo’s knowledge with flowers was an understatement. (Y/n) was sure that not even her nerd of a brother could tell a lily from a tulip, so to hear and see Kuroo handling himself so well with this topic made her admire him just a little bit more than she already did. “It’s a white violet.”

“And did you choose this for a reason?”

Unbidden, a flush crawled up the (h/c) haired girl’s neck and settled on her cheeks. She couldn’t possibly tell him that she chose it because the flower’s meaning reflected her deepest desire of taking a chance at happiness with him— which she was doing now. “Not really, I just thought that it was pretty.”

The middle blocker nodded, not believing her reason for a minute and he made a mental note to research about it when she was asleep. He twirled the flower between his thumb and forefinger, admiring its simplistic beauty before setting it down right by the base of the arrangement. It looked more aesthetically pleasing now than it was earlier, he had to admit.

“Oh wow,” (Y/n) gasped, lifting her head from her fiancé’s shoulder before gingerly taking the arrangement that was in his lap— making the big mistake of dragging her knuckles along his crotch. “Tetsurō! This is really pretty. I think we’ve found your hidden talent— are you okay?”

Golden eyes stared intently at her, illuminated by the full moon and the stars in the sky— yet showing her a familiar darkness that made her shiver with anticipation. Before she could do anything else, Kuroo had used his left hand—that was slung around her— to take her hair in his fist and pull her towards him so they could meet in a feverish kiss.

His tongue immediately seized her mouth, running over her own and soothing the part that he had bitten earlier in the day. (Y/n) moaned into his mouth, letting go of the arrangement in her lap and letting it tumble to the ground as she pounced on Kuroo— not once breaking their kiss as he bunched her _kimono_ up to her thighs so she could straddle his lap. 

He settled his right hand on her waist, dragging her clothed pussy closer to the bulge in his shorts, which had him moaning at the contact. “I missed you.”

“ _Hnn_ , really? It’s been just a few hours, Tetsurō,” (Y/n) whispered brokenly as she fervently met his kisses— feeling her heart beat even harder in her chest at the admission.

“Yeah, I know…”

(Y/n) tried to answer to that, but couldn’t as only quiet moans and groans of pleasure escaped her parted lips when he loosened her _obi_ and tugged the top part of her _kimono_ down to her arms so he could attach his mouth to her breasts. He took a nipple in his mouth, relentlessly playing with it while his right hand went up to the other one and teased it by flicking it back and forth.

“You look so beautiful,” the raven-haired male stated breathlessly when he pulled away from her so that he could look at her state of undress; she looked ethereal with the moon casting a soft glow on her skin, as if she was a goddess that had the misfortune of being cast out of heaven. His right hand reached up so he could trail the pads of his fingers along her shoulder, making him smile as his touch left goosebumps along the way.

However, the smile was wiped from his face when he saw that she had turned her face away from him even as a blush colored her cheeks. He cupped her cheek with his left hand and turned her to face him again, to assure her that his words weren’t a lie.

“I may be a bastard, (Y/n), but I mean it when I say it to you— you are the most beautiful woman in my life.”

She wanted to cry at his words, and she felt the tears pricking the backs of her eyes as her throat tightened up— then he pulled her into his arms and pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head— which had the water works going.

Tear after tear rolled down her cheeks, and she hugged Kuroo back just as tightly while he readjusted her _kimono_ to cover her again. She knew that she shouldn’t be so emotional over something so simple, but she couldn’t help it; she had been wishing for this day ever since they first met, and to hear those gentle words from him said with such a tender and reverent tone was enough to bring her to tears.

Kuroo felt some of her tears dripping onto his shirt and he felt bad for making her cry, but he knew that she wasn’t crying tears of sadness— somehow, he sensed that she was crying because she was touched by his words; she was the hardest person to read for him, but in that moment, he felt so deeply connected to her. Maybe it was because of the clarity of his feelings and his acceptance of them inside him that made him understand her— he liked to think that that was it.

As gently as he could, he rubbed soothing circles on her back while she clung on to him— then he tightened his grip around her before standing up and carrying her to the futon that was set up in the middle of the room. He laid her down on the soft material, but she didn’t let him go, making him smile as he placed a hand on her head and rubbed it affectionately. “I’m so sorry for hurting you all these years, (Y/n).”

She didn’t respond—couldn’t— as more tears rolled down her face and quiet sobs escaped her lips. Now, Kuroo’s heart felt like a vise was squeezing it— it felt like it was going to burst at any moment with the guilt that he felt. He truly was sorry, and even though he felt that his apology eased some of the pain he’d made her feel, it still wasn’t enough to completely fix her heart that he’d broken time and time again.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, waiting for him to finally admit it to her— yet he pushed himself back, wanting the moment to be a happy one instead of one that was mixed with a tinge of sadness; so, he decided to show her instead, all while repeating like a litany in his head...

_I love you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to go through with the smut, but thought that it would take away from the sadness in the chapter?  
> I'll be back tomorrow with the next chapter.  
> Thank you so much to Oikawasbooty and KZOMBI3 for the comments.  
> And thank you to all you beautiful people who left me kudos.  
> Just a heads up for the next chapter, think Sam Smith meets Demi Lovato to set the ambiance.  
> xx


	20. Neko-chan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little glimpse at Domestic!Kuroo.  
> It's just too adorable. :3

“ _Neko-chan_ ,” Kuroo’s face scrunched up in irritation when he felt something cold dripping down his face. “ _Neko-chan_ , wake up. Or else (Y/n) _nee-chan_ ’s going to be mad.” 

More water was sprayed on his face, making him splutter as he sat upright and let the blanket pool in his lap. He glared up at the tiny girl holding a spray bottle near his face, and shook his head at her idea of waking him up. He’d become acquainted with the child the night before, knowing her as Emi— one of his fiancée’s younger cousins; he knew he didn’t like the little girl at first sight. 

“Why are you naked, _Neko-chan_?” Emi practically screeched— and he had immediately pulled up the sheets to cover his chest, all while wondering how (Y/n) could unleash this monster upon him.

“Where’s (Y/n), you little monster?” He asked irately, wiping his face when she sprayed him with more water after his insult.

“That’s not very nice, _Neko-chan_. Kō- _chan_ is much nicer than you. I’m telling (Y/n) _nee-chan_.”

With that, the pint-sized bane of his existence ran out of the room while yelling his lover’s name at the top of her lungs. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm himself down before he got dressed to face the rest of the day— and the rest of (Y/n)’s family on her father’s side.

“What’s not nice is that little monster calling me _Neko-chan_ ,” he grumbled under his breath, getting out of bed and fixing it up before he got ready.  
 

***

  
  
“Emi- _chan_ , did you wake Tetsurō up?” (Y/n) asked chirpily as the blonde four year-old entered the courtyard where her whole extended family was setting up for lunch.

The little girl puffed her cheeks and shook her head. “ _Neko-chan_ is so mean, _nee-chan_. I don’t get why you like him. Kō- _chan_ is much nicer.”

At the sound of his nickname, Sugawara looked up from where he was making flower crowns with a few of (Y/n)’s younger cousins, standing up and dusting himself off before walking over to the (h/c) haired girl who had a sardonic expression on her face. He beckoned Emi over to him, patting her on the head and telling her to play with her other cousins with the promise of joining them later; with a wide grin, the tiny blonde skipped over to the flower crown assembly group and joined in.

“I think she sprayed Tetsurō with water when I told her to wake him up— I saw her going in there with a spray bottle earlier. Maybe I should have stopped her.”

Sugawara chuckled at the (h/c) haired girl’s dilemma, putting a hand on top of her head and trying to breathe through his racing heart. “I’m sure that Kuroo’s mature enough to not take a child seriously.”

 _But you don’t know him like I do_. (Y/n) thought to herself, deciding to just offer her friend a seemingly nonchalant shrug when deep down she was also panicking about his being there.

She knew that the grey-haired setter’s presence would only ruffle Kuroo’s feathers—in a manner of speaking— but she didn’t really have a choice as her aunts and uncles had invited him over for lunch at her grandparents’ house. She’d told him that she’d be visiting them, but made no promises of meeting up with him with the pretense of being busy with catching up with her family. It was the first time that she’d outright lied to him, and not one of those half-truths that she’d plied him with when she was in Tokyo; she felt horrible for it, but she wanted to keep things as peaceful as possible between those two for as long as she could.

She should have known that it wouldn’t last long what with how intertwined all their lives were. And now she was stuck in a weird middle-point where she had to choose between the man she loved and her childhood friend that was still special to her.

It made her think of how things would have been different had she met Sugawara when she was still living here and not when she had just started to go back for the summer. It gave her a weird feeling as well as a bitter taste in her mouth that she decided to push to the back of her mind when she saw an irate Kuroo trudging out of the house with a miserable expression on his face.

A few of her cousins—and her older cousin’s son that she called her nephew— ran towards his tall form and started asking him who he was, and he ran a hand over his face in exasperation before just staring at the four curious toddlers at his feet.

“I guess I should go and save him… or the kids,” (Y/n) stated with a small smile on her face, awkwardly pulling away from Sugawara and traipsing up to her raven-haired lover.

Relief crossed Kuroo’s features when he felt (Y/n)’s familiar warmth sidle up next to him. She wrapped herself around his arm and he shook her grip from him in favor of wrapping said arm around her shoulders, before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Were you the one who sent your little monster of a cousin to wake me up? She kept spraying me with water and called me _Neko-chan_.”

“I’m sorry? She said she would do it since she already met you last night,” the (h/c) haired girl answered sheepishly, pouting up at Kuroo and hoping that that would butter him up. Thankfully, it did; and he let the issue go with a roll of his eyes.

It seemed too forward of her to think it, but she felt closer to Tetsurō than before— her heart felt lighter in her chest, and she felt as if all the things clouding her mind just disappeared when he was near. She felt like she was five again and was meeting him again for the first time; like she was meeting all the small pieces of her younger self again after such a long time away from her.

“(Y/n)- _nee-chan_ , who’s the rooster-head?” Izanagi, her so-called nephew, asked innocently— brown eyes wide and practically glittering with wonder as he stared up at Kuroo’s gravity-defying hair.

She tried to hold it in—she really did— but even with her hand pressing her lips together, the snickers still came out until they turned into full-blown laughter that had (Y/n) clinging on to Kuroo’s torso while he still had his arm wrapped around her. The (h/c) haired girl snuggled into her lover’s chest as she laughed, trying to hide her overly mirthful expression from everyone.

Kuroo could only purse his lips in contempt as he just looked down at the other little monsters in the (L/n) family. He never really was fond of children; he found them annoying and too needy when they reached a certain age, but he also found it fun to rile them up. But now, he was stuck with playing nice because he wanted (Y/n)’s family to think nothing but good things about him— the things he did for this woman.

“Did _oji-san_ get you for the chickens?” Mei, Emi’s younger sister, asked aloud— her tone so innocent and curious that it had (Y/n) laughing even harder.

“Yeah, feel free to laugh even more at my expense, (Y/n),” Kuroo deadpanned, lightly tugging at the ends of (Y/n)’s (h/c) hair as he looked down at her face that was still buried in his chest. “If you little monsters must know; I’m going to be marrying your _nee-chan_.”

The middle blocker knew that people were looking, but he felt the hairs at the nape of his neck prickle with awareness. He looked up from the children, searching the courtyard filled with people doing various things: setting up the long table for lunch, cooking on an open flame in one corner, and other little tasks that were unassuming enough, until his golden gaze connected with hazel ones that sent his every instinct in a protective mode.

“Suga- _chan_ ’s here,” Kuroo mumbled under his breath, tapping his lover’s shoulder twice to get her full attention. The woman in his arms tensed up, slowly looking up at him and clinging on to his shirt in an effort to hold him down if need be. “How come you didn’t tell me he was going to be here? But I guess I should have figured that out; it’s why I came in the first place.”

His tone was accusatory—as if she had deliberately invited Sugawara just to spite him—and she could feel her good mood plummeting, like it was a bird that was shot down as soon as it tasted the sky, as the piece of her heart that was mended last night chipped away.

“My aunts and uncles invited him over for lunch, and they thought that you two could walk over to Karasuno in case you wanted to join them for their training,” (Y/n) explained softly, slowly and reluctantly letting go of her lover when his touch just  made her uncomfortable.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for her, but the realization that they still had a long way to go before Kuroo could truly care for her feelings weighed heavily on her heart. She was growing weary again, but all she could do was hope and hold on if she wanted this to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY, HEY, HEY!  
> A little more happiness because why not?  
> Domestic Kuroo is just so adorable. I take him as the type who won't be patient with kids at all, but he'll rile them up until they cry. UwU  
> Thank you for the comments, and the kudos, you beautiful people. <3  
> Also, what do you guys think about fist fights? Yes or no? xx


	21. Forget You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh! It's Kuroo's birthday where I am.  
> So, in honor of his birthday, I'm doing back to back updates today.  
> Though, I don't know why the publication date is still the 16th.  
> Oh well. Semantics.

Lunch was an uncomfortable event for (Y/n), as she had been sandwiched between Kuroo and Sugawara at the dining table, while her extended family kept letting comments about how adorable she and her fiancé looked together and anecdotes about her and Suga fly back and forth. Even her mother had joined in the onslaught with her teasing comments about her date with Kuroo… which had her head spinning with the amount of stress that their words were putting on her.

She had excused herself abruptly, not even waiting for anyone to acknowledge her words before she walked off towards the fields so she could clear her head. 

Everyone at the table was stunned into silence—because it was the meek and good-natured (Y/n) who had just stormed off— and Kuroo was about to get up to follow her when a heavy hand on his shoulder kept him in his seat. The middle blocker looked towards the owner of the hand and was about to snap at them when he saw that it was Haruichi.

(Y/n)’s brother simply shook his head, and got up from his seat. “I’ll talk to her.”

With that, the blond followed after his sister— knowing exactly where she had gone and for what reason. He may not have been around at home too much, but he knew his sister well enough to know when she needed her big brother to lean on; that, and he could feel the tension between her and the two men flanking her earlier.

After trekking through the fields for about ten minutes, he sighed in relief when he reached the old cow barn near the edge of the property and saw his younger sister staring blankly at the old Akita who was taking a nap inside one of the empty stables.

“I knew you’d go see Hachiko.”

Haruichi’s statement made her practically jump from her skin in fright, and (Y/n) hurriedly wiped the tears on her face before turning to face her brother. “Why’d you follow me out here?”

“Because I know when my sister needs to talk to her brother, and not her fiancé,” the blond answered softly, walking to stand beside his sister and gazing at the sleeping dog; he stirred, opening his eyes blearily and sniffing around before deeming it safe for him to go back to sleep. “I know that you don’t like being the center of the conversation, but this was different. Mind telling me what’s wrong?”

“As if you don’t already know, _nii-chan_.”

Haruichi shrugged, as the corner of his mouth quirked up in a half smile. “But I know that it would make you feel better, so I’m all ears and no judgments.”

And with a heavy sigh, (Y/n) began telling her brother about wanting to break off the engagement, Kuroo’s proposition, and Sugawara’s feelings for her— leaving out the more intimate details of her relationship with the raven-haired male, because telling her brother would only be asking for more trouble.

“And now I’m confused because it’s always one step forward and two whole leaps back with us; just when I think that I’m going to be fine and we’re going to make it work, something happens that makes me change my mind.”

The blond male nodded, digesting his sibling’s words and weighing them in his mind before opening his mouth to speak, “I didn’t think that you’d ever want to leave him so I tried to push you to keep holding on to him so you can wait for him to change, but if you think that being without him is what’s going to be best for you, then do it; who cares what everyone else thinks? Who cares if they’re all disappointed? They’re not the ones who have been trying to keep loving a person who didn’t return their feelings, so they will never understand how tiring and painful it is to keep waiting for that person to love you back.”

“But I care what _oba-chan and oji-san_ think… I don’t want them to be disappointed in me— you don’t understand just how much they mean to me because you’re not the one that mama and papa abandoned,” the words just kept flowing from her mouth even though she tried to hold them in, and by the end of her spiel, she felt… horrible yet better all at once. It felt horrible to admit it to her brother, but it made her feel better to finally vocalize something that had been so deeply rooted in her psyche.

Haruichi’s eyes widened at his sister’s admission, and even though he knew that it wasn’t his fault, he felt guilt seize him and dig its ugly claws into his conscience. 

“It made me think that I was worthless— because what kind of parents just abandon their child when things got tough? I’ve seen people deal with worse and **keep their children closer to them** , not drop them off in the country so they could be forgotten until it was convenient for them to take her back— **after five fucking years**!” (Y/n) yelled out, startling Hachiko and making him curl up in a defensive position before resuming his nap.

By then, more tears were rolling down her flushed cheeks while sobs wracked through her body. She felt chilled down to the tips of her toes, but she couldn’t shake the crippling feeling of pent up sadness and anger coursing through her. “I hated you for that first year… I kept thinking _why couldn’t it have been me that they kept? Why was it him_? I wanted to die when I moved to the city! Do you know how fucked up it is for a five-year-old to think that way?! It’s so fucked up that I kept thinking why it was me that had to be left behind? Was it easier for our parents because they hadn’t formed an attachment to me yet? Or was it because taking care of a baby would be too much work? Or was it because I was just a worthless child? And that’s when I met Tetsurō…”

(Y/n) used the back of her hand to angrily wipe her tears away, and a small, sad smile crossed her lips. “He… was the first one who really made an effort to talk to me. He didn’t look at me with pity or contempt; he was just there for me.”

_I’ll be your first friend in Tokyo, (Y/n)-chan_. A younger image of Kuroo played in her mind’s eye, taking her back to a moment when her and the raven-haired male were friends. She remembered hearing all about him from her grandparents— practically selling him off to her as someone who was going to be there for her no matter what— and when the actual person coincided with the one that she knew of, it wasn’t hard for her to develop a little crush that turned into… well, something more.

Until their families started pushing them more and more together and dropping the truth about their arrangement without any time to ease them into the idea of it. She didn’t remember the exact words that their parents had said to them, but she did remember sitting down with Kuroo in their living room and being told that they were going to be married one day. She was absolutely elated at the thought, but that was the day that Kuroo had started to push her away.

The younger her was at a loss after that— yes, she still held on to him, hoping to get back their friendship, until she had trapped herself in a toxic cycle that she didn’t even try saving herself from, up until recently. She had wanted to do everything for him to keep him from abandoning her because, deep down, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to bear it if he left her as well— but that had ultimately only made him hate her.

“I’m sorry, (Y/n), I never knew…” Haruichi apologized quietly, his eyes glassy with unshed tears as he reached out for his sister and pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry.”

“I felt so alone back then, I… I was so scared and confused, and I was so mad,” (Y/n) hiccupped as more sobs escaped her lips, clinging tightly to her brother as he rubbed her back in soothing circles. “I hate that mama and papa just abandoned me, I hate that I just let everyone step all over me, I hate myself for loving Tetsurō this much— I hate myself for hurting Kōshi— I hate that I’m so weak, _nii-chan_.”

“Shh, you’re the strongest woman I know, (Y/n). You can’t keep feeling like this about yourself,” the older (L/n) muttered thickly as his own tears rolled down his face while his heart hurt for his sister. He was shocked at how much self-hatred his baby sister actually harbored, and it saddened him to know that he could have eased some of her pain had he just paid more attention to how she actually felt and not just what she showed the world.

(Y/n) tried to answer after that, but only breathless sobs left her lips until she was full-out bawling to release 17 years’ worth of pent-up emotions; she cried for her younger self, she cried for what had been taken away from her, and most of all she cried for her heart that had endured too much and couldn’t take any more pain.

She knew that this was it; this was what she had been waiting for all along— the intervention that ultimately broke her and built her back up. And now, she knew what she needed to do, no matter how painful it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ON TO THE NEXT. >>>


	22. Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo's view of things in this chapter.  
> And sweet, sweet provocation.  
> I'm just so giddy that it's his birthday.

The walk to Karasuno was certainly a picturesque sight with all the nature surrounding Kuroo, but he craved to hear the hustle and bustle of the city— which he never thought that he would miss— and he wanted nothing more to be all the way back at the farm as his walking buddy was a less than palatable companion.

He really didn’t want to go to Karasuno’s afternoon training session, but he knew that it would be in bad form to refuse at the last minute— since (Y/n)’s grandfather had put in the effort to contact Ukai- _san_ so he could go there today. It irked him to no end to know that he would still be seeing the grey-haired setter beside him for two more times before Nationals.

“(Y/n) must have gone to Hachiko,” Sugawara commented idly, looking at Kuroo from the corners of his eyes and noting that the other male was pointedly trying to ignore him; so, he decided to continue. He didn’t know what he was doing— did he have a death wish? Probably. He just wanted to clear things out between them for (Y/n)’s sake.

There was a tiny part in Suga that wanted to still pursue his feelings for his childhood friend, but the more noble and gentlemanly part of him kept repeating in his mind that it would never happen anyways and that he should bow out of the competition, not that there was ever one. Besides, although he knew that she was happy with him, she was ultimately happier with Kuroo— even though he had brought her nothing but pain. “She loved that dog so much, even if he wasn’t exactly fond of her at first.”

“Are you trying to say that she has a penchant for unrequited love?” Nekoma’s captain practically hissed at Suga, making him inch farther away from said captain.

The hazel-eyed setter shook his head, turning to face Kuroo and frowning. “I’m saying that (Y/n) is resilient; if she loves something or someone, she would endure anything until they returned her feelings… or until they left her. So, if you’re just in it for… the sex, then-”

Anger coursed through Kuroo at the setter’s words, and red tinged his vision as he grabbed Sugawara by the collar of his shirt and glared down at him. “What I feel about my future wife is none of your business, Sugawara. Whether I’m in it to have her tight pussy cumming around my cock whenever I want does not concern you in any way. I know you two have history, and if it were up to me, she’d never be allowed around you; but you’re her **friend** and I don’t want to force her to choose between us— it would do you good to remember that that’s the only reason that you’re still friends.”

Kuroo knew that he’d stepped on a mine with his words, because Sugawara wrenched himself free from his grip before rearing his fist back and letting it connect with the taller male’s face. The latter smirked, stepping back and briefly touching his throbbing cheek before spitting out the blood that pooled in his mouth.

The grey-haired setter had never hit anyone in his entire life; and could only stay dumbfounded as his right hand throbbed with pain. All he knew was that he was so angry at Kuroo for talking about (Y/n) like that, and now he was mentally bracing himself for the middle blocker’s retaliation.

“I know you love her,” the raven-haired male began, flexing his jaw before continuing, “I saw what happened at Shinzen; I can’t say that I’m thrilled about it, but I understand how you feel. (Y/n) draws you in and she traps you when you least expect it— though she doesn’t know that she does it.”

Suga didn’t know exactly what was happening— why Kuroo wasn’t pummeling him to the ground with his fists like he expected to happen– but he narrowed his eyes at the taller male, not trusting him one bit. Could he have been just doing that to rile him up and provoke a reaction out of him? He wouldn’t put it past Nekoma’s devious captain.

“I hated her with every fiber of my being— all because I **thought** that she was the reason that I couldn’t pursue my dreams. She was the embodiment of the end of everything that mattered to me: my bachelorhood, volleyball, my friends… getting married to her meant leaving my family to live with her, and I was too young to appreciate what had been handed to me,” Kuroo explained calmly, lazily running a hand through his hair before letting his arms fall loosely at his sides.

He continued, “And I reminded her of that every chance I got; I hurt her so many times to push her away from me— in the hopes that she would get sick of me and cancel the engagement, but none of us wanted to disappoint our families, so we stayed with the agreement— also, staying together meant that we would get our inheritances after the wedding. It was easy and convenient.”

“She was too quiet, too soft, and too… submissive; which irritated me to no end, and it was more fuel for my hatred for her. Until one day she’d had enough and fought back. That’s when I started getting addicted to her… I was finally getting to know the real her, and it felt amazing. You love her, but it’s not the way that I do.”

It wasn’t exactly clear to Kuroo why he was explaining himself to Sugawara, but he felt the need to do it— if only to nip this problem at the bud. He wanted nothing more than to settle the problem with his fists, but he knew that it would only upset (Y/n) if she found out that he had been in a physical fight with Sugawara; she was already distressed enough as it was, he didn’t need to add more kindling to the fire.

“And how… is it different?” Sugawara’s voice quieted towards the end of his question, showing his reluctance to know the truth, but having his curiosity get the best of him.

“The difference is I can be selfish enough to fight for what we clearly both want, but selfless enough to let her go if she’s not happy in the end. You just let her go without a fight— if you loved her as much as I do, you wouldn’t be able to just take the pain and live with it. Just the thought of a life without her… scares me shitless.” Kuroo sighed, trying to ease the tightness he felt in his chest before turning to look up at the plane that was passing above them. “Could you be selfish for her, Suga- _chan_?”

The question had the setter’s mind reeling; filtering through all the possible answers, but only landing on one painful truth: “I can’t.”

Kuroo only nodded, outwardly expressionless as he stared at the setter in front of him, but inwardly relieved that he didn’t have to resort to Plan B: beating Sugawara and forcing him to stay away from (Y/n)— that would not have sat well with his fiancée.

“We’ll probably never be friends, but the least we can do is be civil with each other for (Y/n)’s sake,” the raven-haired male stated seriously, not expecting his rival to answer; the facts were a lot to take in, anyways.

He wasn’t saying that he was going to stop being jealous of Sugawara’s interactions with his future wife, but he was going to try and be understanding and mature about it— after all, he had been the one who had set the ball rolling with his petty jealousy in the first place; it was time that he got his act together to be the man that was worthy of having such a wife as (Y/n).

Silence prevailed upon the pair again, and they just stood where they were without regard to the people who were passing them by and giving them curious glances— especially with the bruise that was forming on Kuroo’s cheek.

“Okay. You win, Kuroo.”

A sly smile made its way to the captain’s face, and he didn’t dare say anything in case it set Sugawara off again— contrary to popular belief, he did know when to draw the line with his provocation; that didn’t mean that he couldn’t be smug about winning, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, his birthday present was getting punched in the face by Suga. >:D  
> Ahhh! Also, I'm so torn about how long I should make this???? Because I'm almost past my safe mark of 25, but I feel that the story is still lacking, but I don't want to rush things ya know?  
> Maybe 40 chapters? Is that still acceptable?  
> I mean, I've made fanfics with 80+ chapters just because, but will people still read it if it's up to 40?  
> Omfg. Or should I just rush things????????


	23. Soliloquy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hnnn. Much drama in this one.  
> Thank you to everyone who left comments for me (Namely: forgottenbytime, Oikawasbooty, sunflowertea, and Alix Grizz). They really do make me happy. So freaking happy.  
> And thank you for all the kudos as well! <3

Clueless didn’t even begin to cover how (Y/n) felt when she came back to her grandparents’ house that evening with her brother leading her by the hand; she was brought back to the times when she was the one who would lead him around because he didn’t know where he was going. It was funny, in a roundabout kind of way.

“Maybe you should do this tomorrow, after you’ve gotten some rest?” Haruichi suggested softly, stopping in the middle of the courtyard where everything began, but his sister only shook her head at him— looking heart wrenching with her red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

She had half the mind to do it tomorrow, but she knew that postponing this confrontation would only make her lose her nerve; it was now or never.

Her brother seemed to get where her train of thought was going, because he only sighed in defeat before wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders and patting her hair affectionately. “Okay. I’ll go get Tetsurō- _kun_ first so you two can talk; and I’ll bring everyone else after half an hour. Wait for us in the living room.”

With a wordless nod, (Y/n) hugged her brother back before trudging towards the back entrance to the living room, in case her younger cousins were still roaming around in the house; she didn’t want any questions from the young ones right now.

She didn’t have to wait long for anyone to show up; not even five minutes later, Kuroo entered the room and practically scrambled to sit on the cushion next to hers. His eyebrows were furrowed with worry, and his golden eyes were soft as he let cupped her face and tried to wipe away the dried tear tracks on her cheeks.

(Y/n) was equally as frantic in her actions when she saw the bruise that was blooming on his left cheek bone. It was an ugly reddish purple, which had her guessing that it had happened just a few hours ago. She reached up to touch the bruise with her fingertips, but Kuroo winced and pulled away slightly from her. “What happened to you? There aren’t any _yankii_ that live here.”

“Sugawara and I reached an understanding, that’s what happened,” the raven-haired male answered with a slight smile, taking his fiancée’s outstretched hand and bringing it to his lips so he could kiss her fingertips. “I may have said some things that set him off. We can talk about that later… how are you feeling? Haru- _chan_ just told me that you had something important to say and to go here.”

“I’m telling them.”

Kuroo’s heart practically seized in his chest at her words. He didn’t even have to ask what she was talking about— he knew perfectly what she needed to tell her family. He wanted to lash out— thrash this whole place until he was too tired to move, but he held himself back; his heart was slowly breaking in his chest, and he did nothing to ease it— he couldn’t, not if this was her final decision.

A part of him wanted to reason with her— remind her that they had an agreement, but he never gave her any specific timeframe to work with, he just told her to tell him when she wasn’t happy anymore. Was this it? Was she not happy with him? Had what transpired earlier been her wake up call?

So many thoughts ricocheted around in his brain, and he felt as if he was being sucked in by the darkness fraying at the outskirts of his mind. He didn’t even notice that he was practically hyperventilating as he stared blankly down at his lap, until (Y/n)’s warm hands gently cupped his face and brought him back to the present— to her.

Unexpectedly, tears started falling from Kuroo’s eyes, and try as he might to stop them, more tears just came and streamed down his pale face. He was distraught— his heart felt like someone was ripping it from his chest, and his throat was so tight that it was getting hard for him to breathe; for once, he didn’t know what to do but lower his head and cry.

He felt (Y/n) trying to pull him up by his shoulders, but he wouldn’t let her see his pitiful tears; so he stayed like that— just letting the tears continuously fall as quiet sobs escaped his lips from time to time.

Kuroo had never understood why men cried over women; he saw them as weak and overly-emotional creatures, but now he knew why they were reduced to such actions: in the face of heartbreak, you didn’t know what to do except cry. When the only girl you’ve ever loved is leaving you… all you can do is cry.

Slowly, he felt (Y/n) pulling him to her chest and carding her fingers soothingly through his hair as more silent tears poured from his eyes. He let himself be cradled like that, finding reassurance in her warmth and softness— as well as the steady beat of her heart that he could feel beneath his cheek. 

“I’m not leaving you, Tetsurō,” the (h/c) haired girl whispered reassuringly, before leaning down and pressing a light kiss against his forehead. “I’m telling them of my past decision, and how we’re working on our relationship now… and I need to tell them all the things that have been hurting me for my entire life. I need you now more than ever."

He didn’t understand what she had said after her first sentence; all he knew was the relief that coursed through him at her reassuring words— all he knew was that he couldn’t live without (Y/n). Gingerly, he wrapped his arms around her waist and closed his eyes. “Please, (Y/n), please don’t ever leave me. We’ll fix this, I swear.”

“I promise, Tetsurō. I’ll always be yours.”

They didn’t know how long they stayed like that, very comfortable in each other’s arms and in their own little bubble, when a soft knock echoed throughout the room. Kuroo looked up then, reluctantly pulling away from (Y/n) and wiping the remaining tears on his face when he saw Haruichi standing there with a somber expression on his face.

“Can we come in?” The older (L/n) sibling asked, his eyes darting back and forth between his sister and her fiancé.

(Y/n) took a deep breath— seemingly mustering up the courage to answer—then nodded her assent. Gently, Kuroo reached over to her and placed a comforting hand on top of her hands that were folded together on her lap. She was surprised at the action, and her expression showed that as she turned her head to look at him.

He only gave her a small smile before leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to her lips. “I love you.”

The (h/c) haired girl was dumbfounded— not believing her ears when she heard the words Tetsurō had said to her— but even though she wanted to linger on them and make him repeat it, she didn’t have the time as her parents came into the room, followed by her paternal grandparents. She could only blink owlishly at him before looking away to hide the blush that colored her cheeks.

The elders took their seats around the table, settling in for what they assumed was a heavy discussion, based on the melancholy expression that Haruichi sported on his face when he had knocked on their doors and called them for this meeting.

(Y/n) was thankful that no one spoke or commented about Kuroo’s bruise— maybe they had already asked him about it earlier— which gave her the reigns for the discussion. Slowly, she flipped her left hand over and laced her fingers with Tetsurō’s, reveling in the strength and reassurance that his touch gave her. She felt that she could take on anything with him beside her.

Her gaze flitted from face to face in the room, trying to center her jumbled thoughts into even a semblance of something orderly to begin with. “I… have so many things to tell all of you, but I don’t know where to begin. But, I guess I should start with what had been bothering me the most as of late: I wanted to end the engagement with Tetsurō.”

Collective gasps were heard throughout the table, and (Y/n) expected yelling or any violent reaction, yet all she got were disappointed looks; she knew that she would get this, so she tried her hardest to ignore them and just pushed on. “What happened between us will stay between us, but all of you should know my previous predicament. I wanted so badly to tell all of you the moment I got back from Shinzen, but I couldn’t because I didn’t want to disappoint all of you— especially _oji-san_ and _oba-chan_.”

The words were flowing much easier now, and everyone was silent as they listened to her pour her heart out. “I felt so scared to tell all of you because I didn’t want anyone to be mad at me—” She took another deep breath as she braced herself to let the verbal projectiles fly. “I didn’t want anyone to push me away— I couldn’t bear just the thought of being all alone again. That’s how I felt when I was younger: I felt like I was always alone even though I was surrounded by so many people. I felt unloved, and unwanted… all because my own parents gave me away.”

By the end of her spiel, (Y/n)’s voice was gaining volume and anger, still she continued all while narrowing her eyes at her mother and father— trying her best to keep herself from bursting into tears. “Everyone looked at me with pity, and it was sickening. I hated how I was treated with so much pity while growing up— I hated that it took you two five years to even see me. Just imagine how I felt when you two showed up out of the blue one day and told me that you were my parents, and that I was going to live in Tokyo. Did you once even consider what you were doing to me?”

Kaori (L/n) looked back at her daughter, bowing her head so deeply that she was close to a _dogeza_ as she cried. “Forgive me, (Y/n). I didn’t know how to-”

She knew that it was rude, but she cut her mother off. “You could have coped with it! You’re stronger than that! But you gave me away! Instead of keeping me closer to you, you pushed me off to another place. It made me think why it was me; how easy it was for you to make the decision. It made me feel so unwanted and worthless. You made me feel so worthless— like I had to do **everything** to please you just so I wouldn’t get left behind again." 

Only silence reigned upon their group, but (Y/n) could see that even her grandmother was crying, as all the males had the decency to look down in shame. But Kuroo… he squeezed her hand under the table in reassurance. He was shocked at the intensity of his fiancée’s words, but he understood where she was coming from… and it made his heart hurt for her.

“Did you once consider how it would affect **me**? How much it would hurt **me**? Both of you were so selfish— I…” (Y/n) couldn’t continue as her throat thickened up and tears pricked the backs of her eyes. She wanted to cry so badly, and the more she forced her tears back, the more they threatened to burst forth.

“Have you been feeling like this all this time?” (Y/n)’s father asked quietly, turning his gaze up to his daughter. She nodded, and he could only bury his face in his hands as the feeling of failure practically suffocated him— he had failed as a parent, and he didn’t even know until now the extent of the damage that one selfish decision had done.

“I wanted to die because I felt so alone and singled out in Tokyo… until I met Tetsurō,” she reiterated what she had told her brother earlier; wanting them to know who had pulled her from the brink of her dangerous thoughts. “I was drowning, but he was my lifeline.”

Kuroo’s eyes widened at the revelation, and his heart swelled in his chest at the thought of being the reason that she was right here— holding his hand so tightly as if she would disappear if he let her go.

“We didn’t know, (Y/n) … we’re so sorry,” Itsuki (L/n) apologized to his granddaughter, not knowing what else to say after her confession. “Had I known…”

“I’m thankful to you and _oba_ - _chan_ for raising me, _oji-san_ , I couldn’t ask for anything more than that; but… why the arranged marriage?”

(Y/n)’s grandmother cleared her throat and wiped the tears from her eyes, then answered, “Because we wanted someone to take care of you out there. We didn’t want to let you go, but it was for the best… since there are more opportunities in the city that out here in the country. Your parents were busy with their jobs, and Haruichi- _kun_ was still too young to understand what was going on, so we entrusted you to Tetsurō- _kun_ ’s family. In return, they set up the engagement because they wanted someone to take care of him in case anything was to happen; your engagement wasn’t really about the inheritances, but because we all wanted you two to have someone who will take care of you.” 

It was silent for a few minutes, with (Y/n) trying to absorb everything that her grandmother had revealed, until she cleared her throat and pursed her lips so that she wouldn’t cry anymore— her eyes already hurt from bawling so much earlier, but it appeared that her system wasn’t done shedding tears. Her eyes swiveled over to where her parents were now looking at her with tears rolling down their faces— and her heart hurt for reducing them that state.

“(Y/n), I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry for being such a bad mother to you,” Kaori (L/n) bawled through her tears, placing her hands on the table and trying to reach out to her daughter. “I’m so sorry for hurting you.”

(Y/n) had a forgiving nature, but it wasn’t really that easy to forgive and just forget; she was already well on her way to forgiving them—counting in all the years that she had stewed over this very topic by herself— but it was going to take some time for her wounds to heal. She felt like she’d just ripped off a Band-Aid from an old wound, expecting it to be somewhat healed, only to find out that it was still as fresh as the day she got it.

Still, she reached her right hand out to her mother and held tight to both of her hands that clutched at her like a lifeline. “You aren’t a bad mother, mama; you just made a mistake.”

From beside her, she felt Kuroo slowly stand up, pulling her with him— which had her letting go of her mother’s hands— and gently leading her over to where her parents were sitting. “I’ll be waiting for you outside, okay? You and your parents need to talk.”

She couldn’t even say anything as Haruichi and her grandparents left the room with encouraging smiles on their faces. Yes, the (h/c) haired girl appreciated the privacy, but her heart started hammering in her chest at the trepidation that she felt; what was she going to tell her parents now? After making them feel guilty? After reducing them to tears? If anything, she felt like a bad daughter.

It was as if her mind was in a downward spiral that was pulling her psyche into an abyss, until she felt Kuroo’s warm lips on her forehead. “You’re not a bad daughter. You were just hurt, and scared, and angry.”

“Did you just read-”

The raven-haired male chuckled quietly as he shook his head. “I could see it on your face. Just talk to them, okay? And then we’ll talk about us…”

His words gave her hope, and even though she was reluctant about staying here and hashing out everything her parents had unknowingly done to hurt her over the years, she knew that Kuroo wouldn’t just let her back out now that she was losing her nerve. And it was at that moment that she truly understood why her grandparents had tied them together; it felt so amazing to have someone who was on your side and thinking of what was best for **you** , and would still be waiting for **you** after you deal with your demons.

With that, he gave her a soft smile before kissing a tear away from her cheek. “You can do this; I believe in you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One obstacle down, just a handful more to go. >:D  
> I wanted to make Kuroo beg a bit more, but thought that I was already stretching it, so it ended up like this.  
> Also, I've decided to just maybe stop at the 45 mark? I'm just making things up as I go, so I may or may not even get to that many chapters. But i just love writing Kuroo and this Reader-chan's dynamic, sooo it's hard to let this fic go.


	24. Endymion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, this chapter is a cutesy one to make up for all the drama.  
> I just love writing about them as a couple. UwU  
> Comments are greatly loved.  
> Thank you for the kudos and the bookmarks! <3

It was safe to say that the rest of (Y/n)’s night was filled with more tears and hugging from both of her parents. Apologies had been repeated incessantly through tears, and her wounds felt like they were finally starting to heal. All of them knew that it was going to take some time for things to go back to normal, but she was optimistic that it wouldn’t be **that** long. 

After taking a quick shower to wash all of the stress away, she walked back to the room that she and Kuroo were sharing, and saw that the little nightlight was still on. She opened the _shōjo_ quietly, being careful not to wake him up in case he was sleeping. 

Lo and behold, he **was** fast asleep on the futon— with his left arm stretched out on her side of the bed—clutching one of the books that she’d packed for the trip—and his head sandwiched between their two pillows. A small smile crossed her lips at the sight, and her heart fluttered in her chest when she heard him quietly call out her name.

She’d never pegged him as the type to read Greek Mythology, but she assumed that his curiosity had gotten the best of him and he took a peek at the old and worn book that she’d left under her pillow. Kneeling down next to him— all while being careful not to expose too much of her skin with the _yukata_ that she was wearing— she gingerly took the book from his hand, marking the page that his thumb was holding.

(Y/n) flipped the book over and opened it to the page that Kuroo had fallen asleep to, only to blush madly when she saw her familiar handwriting from when she was 12. It wasn’t in her personality nowadays to write on the pages of her books, but when she was younger she would just write down little notes on the margins of her favorite books— maybe the title of a song or another book that reminded her of a certain passage, but with this particular book…

Her 12-year-old self had penned down the characters for Kuroo (Y/n) and Kuroo Tetsurō right next to the title: _8 Brief Tales of Lovers_. Had her old self known that aforementioned Kuroo Tetsurō was going to be seeing the inscription, she never would have written it down in the first place.

“ _Aiya_ , (L/n) (Y/n),” she muttered to herself, fanning her face with her left hand in the hopes that her blush would disappear. “So embarrassing.”

From a few feet away, Kuroo stirred— his eyes opening a fraction of an inch before a lazy, and smug, grin graced his sleepy features. “Hello, Kuroo (Y/n).”

(Y/n) couldn’t say anything— her face felt like it had become stuck on the simultaneously horrified and surprised expression that she currently sported. The raven-haired male chuckled in response, opening and closing his hand as a way to beckon her towards him. “Come here. I want to hold you.”

Her face felt impossibly hotter at his words; and the (h/c) haired girl could only duck her head to hide her flaming cheeks as she crawled under the sheets and rested her head on her lover’s outstretched arm. As soon as she was settled, Kuroo pulled her flush against his body before taking the worn book from her hands.

“Do you want to talk now or tomorrow?” The middle blocker asked quietly, letting the fingers on his left hand play with her hair. “I’m fine with anything, but you need to rest.”

She pondered on it for a minute or so, until she shook her head then snuggled further against Kuroo’s chest and brought her left hand up to rest on his chest while the right one rested against her cheek. “We can talk tomorrow, but…”

Kuroo hummed a noncommittal sound, secretly relieved that he would still have the time to get his bearings; from getting punched in the face by Karasuno’s mother hen, to full out crying and begging (Y/n) not to leave him, and eventually ending with him admitting to her that he loved her, he didn’t think that he could take dealing with anymore feelings for today. He wondered how women did it on a daily basis— it was scary to him that most girls dealt with these things all the time but still managed to get up the following day as if nothing happened. “But what?”

Shyly— almost as if she was afraid that Kuroo would bolt when he heard her request— she answered, “Can you say it to me again?”

The raven-haired male tensed beneath her, and she thought that he was going to push her off and turn away when he just sighed, and let the fingers that were playing with her hair to drift down to the back of her neck. She shivered at the feel of his warm fingertips stroking her cold skin, but relished in the tender action as she waited.

She looked up at his face, and smiled as she saw the blush that colored his cheeks. It made her feel better to know that he wasn’t as unaffected by her as she initially thought.

“I love you, (Y/n),” Kuroo whispered, eyes connecting with her before flitting away so he could look up at the ceiling. He couldn’t figure out why he was shy **now** of all times, when he’d said it so sincerely and confidently to her earlier; maybe it was the way her fingers were doodling hearts on his chest, or maybe it was the sweet smell of her skin after her bath… or maybe it was just **her** in general.

She closed her eyes at the words, seeming to ingrain them into her memory with that sweet smile on her lips, before meeting his gaze again and pressing a kiss against his lips. “Again.” 

Kuroo groaned in fake exasperation, not wanting his fiancée to know that he was finding her persistence so adorable, even though deep down he was practically gushing over how cute she was acting with him with her demand. “I love you.”

“Aga-”

“I love you, I love you, I love you. No more. You’ve reached your quota for the month!” After the declaration, his face was absolutely burning but he didn’t have a choice but to look at the woman beside him when she turned his face towards hers so she could press another kiss to his lips. He wanted to ask her to tell him the same thing, because what she’d told him during the training camp didn’t exactly cut it for him— he knew that she loved him, but he wanted to hear it come tenderly from her lips… only, he didn’t want to force her into saying it to him. He would just have to wait…

“And I love you, Tetsurō.”

Or not.

His heart felt like it was going to burst with the overwhelming feeling of joy practically coursing through him at those simple words. He pulled her closer and sealed her lips with his, content with just the languid kisses they were exchanging at the moment.

(Y/n) nipped teasingly at his bottom lip, and he reciprocated by slipping his tongue into her mouth so he could play with hers. They stayed like that for quite some time, until both of them pulled away so they could catch their breaths.

Lazily, (Y/n) rested her cheek back against Kuroo’s chest while he toyed with the book in his right hand— about to put it down when her lilting voice hit his ears. “Can you read to me, please?”

“Wouldn’t you rather be doing something else with me?” Kuroo pouted, not really in the mood for something so strenuous, but looking for a way to tease his lover.

To his chagrin, (Y/n) snorted at his words. “If you wanted something to happen, it would already be happening right now. I know you, Tetsurō; you’re a persistent one.”

“Alright. Fine, fine. I’ll read to you.”

With that answer, he flipped the small book open with one hand—not bothering to hide the smug smirk that graced his lips when he saw the inscription by the chapter title— before asking, “What do you want me to read?”

“The story about Endymion— it’s my most favorite myth,” the (h/c) haired girl answered gently, reaching out to turn the pages to the most worn out segment in the whole book.

Kuroo quirked an eyebrow at the book— confused at how (Y/n) could like something so… short and undetailed, but he didn’t comment about it; instead, he just started reading the words softly to the woman snuggled up to him.

“ _This youth, whose name is so famous, has a very short history_ ,” he narrated, then paused to bite his tongue so that he wouldn’t add in his own sentiments… but failed. “Yeah, you don’t say.”

“Are you trying to pick a fight with the author?” (Y/n) giggled quietly, then pressed a kiss against his jaw before snuggling against his chest once more. “Just keep reading, Tetsurō.”

And read he did. When he reached the end of the very short epitaph, his fingers were back to playing with (Y/n)’s hair because he didn’t find the story engaging at all; where was all the drama that came with these things, and the pettiness, and the affairs? He didn’t know much about Western myths, but he knew enough to know that this wasn’t the cream of the crop. “Why do you even like this story? I think the story about the guy who fell in love with his statue is more interesting than this.”

(Y/n) didn’t answer him for a while, almost making him think that she was asleep if not for her fingers still doodling on his chest. Another few minutes passed, and she sighed quietly before opening her mouth to speak, “Because it reminded me of you. Selene loved Endymion so much that she gave him eternal life— and she put him to sleep so that she would know exactly where to find him. He never knew about her or her feelings for him, but she still visited him every night. Her method for keeping him is a bit questionable, but I love their story.”

“So you were taking notes to kidnap me and put me to sleep forever on the side of a mountain? What a _Yandere_ ,” Kuroo mused with a chuckle, not really saying anything with malice or accusation, but merely teasing (Y/n). It worked, because she swatted his chest lightly before giggling again— such a wonderful sound that he wanted to hear forever. “But if it’s you, then I’m fine with it. Though I would miss actually feeling your mouth sucking my cock…”

“Is sex all you ever think about?” The (h/c) haired girl asked indignantly, pushing herself away from Kuroo and playfully slapping his chest with her hands. “ _Baka hentai_!”

“Come back,” Kuroo whined, dropping the book and holding her right hand with his free one before pulling her snugly against him. “Better.”

“Who’d have known that you were such a dork.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, I think I got a bit carried away while doing my research on Endymion— it's just such a cute story if you count out the kidnapping and other shady things. The book I used for reference is Mythology by Edith Hamilton (the best Greek mythology book of all time, in my opinion).  
> Also, this is somewhat random, but won't Kuroo look a bit like Jumin Han from Mystic Messenger with his hair down??? Or should I get my glasses checked again???? Idk.


	25. Omamori

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no forewords.  
> Enjoy. >:D

The trip back to Tokyo was pretty much the same as when they were going to Miyagi— minus the last-minute stop and the semi-public sex, but that was all semantics. They were in a rush because even though Kuroo had trained yesterday with Karasuno, he still needed to make it to his team’s own training session later that afternoon. With the Tokyo representative play-offs approaching, they had to train harder with longer hours.

(Y/n) knew that her talk with Kuroo would have to wait until he had the time to just sit down with a clear mind; he seemed calm and collected on the outside, but she could see that the sheer amount of things he had on his schedule was starting to put a strain on him— not only did he have the representative play-offs to worry about, he also had his college entrance exams to add to his list. 

Which brought her here to this moment after class, two weeks after their trip to Miyagi and only three days before the play-offs that would determine if they could go to Nationals or not. She was standing awkwardly outside the gym, with a bento in her hands as well as a red sports _omamori_ dangling from her pinky, and a piece of mint candy in her mouth.

She heard the balls ricocheting off the floor and the walls, making her even more nervous because there was—inevitably— going to be an audience again; even though she liked to think that she was friends with everyone, there was still the feeling of being shy around them when it came to being affectionate with Kuroo. 

It wasn’t that she was shy about being **with** Kuroo per se, but it was more of the fact that she was shy because Kuroo wasn’t shy of showing everyone **his** affections. Ever since they came back from Miyagi, it was like he had lost all his trepidations for public displays of affection with her. Everything was innocent: an arm around her shoulder, cupping her cheek tenderly, and even kissing her forehead— which had all the girls swooning while Yuri was left rolling her eyes at the audacious actions from the volleyball captain. 

Turning on her heel again, she wanted to just go back up to the room that the literary club was using, but willed her body to face the doors to the gym again— only to step back in the other direction again. She sucked on the sweet on her tongue as she thought of how to call his attention without alerting everyone else.

“ _Eh_? (Y/n)- _san_? Are you here for the captain?”

She almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of Lev’s voice from behind her; and she turned around to face the intimidating male. “L-Lev? What are you doing out here?” 

“I forgot something in the locker room,” the silver-haired male answered with a sheepish smile. “Do you want me to get Kuroo- _san_ for y-? Oh, is that an _omamori_? It looks so cool!”

His exclamation must have been heard inside the gym, because not even a minute later Kuroo’s voice could be heard yelling, “Lev! What’s taking you so long out there?” 

A chill seemed to run through the aforementioned player, and he only bowed to (Y/n) before taking a step around her to enter the gym; almost yelping when Kuroo’s tall figure stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes narrowed as a means of intimidation. 

Kuroo opened his mouth to lecture Lev some more, but stopped in his tracks when he saw his fiancée standing to the side— looking as cute as ever in her school uniform— holding a bento in her hands. He closed his mouth and turned to his _kouhai_ , “Go inside, Lev.”  
  
With one last wave at (Y/n), the tall first year bolted into the gym and joined in with his team— who all gave him questioning looks as they glanced back and forth between him and their captain. It wasn’t like Kuroo to just stop mid-lecture, as he was a stickler for being on time for training. 

“(Y/n)- _san_ ’s outside,” he muttered by way of answering their silent questions, and his answer was met with understanding expressions and nods among his team members. It was weird to see their captain act so smitten—or whipped— but they could tell that something had happened during the rest of their vacation after him and (Y/n) had a falling out, so they let it go; besides, it was funny to tease him about his newly-found affections when it was just the team in the locker room.

“Hey,” Kuroo greeted softly, smiling down at his fiancée before stepping out of the gym and walking towards her. His eyes that were previously sharp and bright with energy turned soft and dark the longer he stared at her, as if she was something that she wanted to devour at the moment. 

The (h/c) haired girl hesitantly smiled back and held out the bento to him, if only to keep him at bay. _Kami-sama_ knew that he would try something right here, and she didn’t want to get caught on school grounds; she wouldn’t be able to take the shame of being caught in a compromising position with Kuroo— even though everyone now knew that they were a thing. They never came outright and told everyone that they were engaged, wanting to keep a low profile at school— and to keep (Y/n) from getting any hate from Kuroo’s fans, according to Kuroo; which she shut down with a catty _“What fans_?” comment when he brought it up.

Of course, it didn’t end well for her… it ended marvelously with three orgasms and the realization of her favorite sex position with the raven-haired male: spooning. 

“This is for you.” Kuroo accepted the bento graciously, and then eyed the _omamori_ that was dangling from her finger. She brought it up and showed him the intricate design— which had him grinning as he realized that it looked uncannily like him spiking a ball in his volleyball jersey.

“An _omamori_? When did you have the time to go to a temple?” The raven-haired male didn’t take the talisman, instead encircled his fingers around (Y/n)’s wrist as he examined the silk trinket.

“Yesterday with Yuri. We didn’t have any club activities because we’re still reading the material, so we went.”

She tried to pull her hand back, to no avail. Her stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies when his intent gaze flitted from the talisman over to her (e/c) eyes; holding her where she was standing.

One moment Kuroo was just holding her wrist, and the next he had pulled her to him and moved his hand to the back of her neck so he could hold her while he pressed his lips to hers in a needy kiss. She tried to pull away in fear of anyone rounding the corner or exiting the gym and seeing them, but Kuroo held firm— slipping his tongue into her pliant mouth and grinning against her lips when he tasted mint candy on her tongue. Playfully, he hooked the piece of candy with the tip of his tongue and tried to slide it from her mouth and into his.

(Y/n)’s eyes widened when she realized what he was doing, and she immediately clamped her mouth shut and pulled away from Kuroo.

“I can make out with you but I can’t take away your candy?” The volleyball captain asked with a laugh, knowing how his lover liked her sweets, but just realizing how much she **really** liked them. “So mean, (Y/n). How about you take candy from my mouth next time?”

He couldn’t help but laugh as his fiancée turned a bright shade of red at his words, and he pressed a brief kiss to her lips before trailing his lips up to her ear. “I’ve done lewder things to you like lick your cute pussy, but the mention of swapping candy while we make out embarrasses you like this. I’m so tempted to bend you over and just put my cock in you right now.” 

“ _B-baka_!” (Y/n) stammered out, trying to step away from the man in front of her but having no such luck because he still held her by the back of her neck. 

“But I’d like to savor you, so maybe later. What time do your club activities end?” Kuroo asked, voice thick with lust before he nipped at the shell of (Y/n)’s ear. 

“Around 7.” 

The middle blocker nodded; already forming a schedule in his head so they could be at her house by 7:45, if things went according to his plan. He was already planning to spend the night anyway, at per her parents’ request since they were going to be gone on business trips for their jobs and she didn’t have anyone to be at the house with her; but he decided not to tell her of this development to surprise her.

“I’ll pick you up then.” 

With that, Kuroo pulled (Y/n) back to him and slanted his mouth against hers, taking advantage of her pliant mouth to slip his tongue between her lips and slide the candy over to his mouth. He pulled away with a wet smack of lips, and started chuckling while his lover squeaked in embarrassment.

“So cute,” he complimented as he let go of her, turned her around and smacked her bottom lightly. “I’ll see you later, _hime-sama_.”

 

***

 

When (Y/n) got back to the literature clubroom, she was greeted by the sight of some of the female club members crowded around Yuri— who was playing a new _otome_ game on her phone. A chuckle escaped her lips, catching the attention of everyone in the room, as she traipsed over to the desk beside her cousin and proceeded to sit down carefully on the chair.

“I see that you found lover boy,” Yuri commented acidly, glancing up from her phone to pin her cousin with her green eyes that looked so uncanny paired with her purple hair. She didn’t bother hiding the dislike in her tone, as she never really was a fan of the volleyball captain. “I don’t even get why you’re still with him, (Y/n)- _chan_.” 

(Y/n) narrowed her eyes at her cousin, knowing full well that both of them **knew** the semantics of her arrangement— and that she loved Kuroo. “Because I love him, Yuri. I’ve told you this.”

“No harm in asking; it might make you change your mind,” the purple-haired girl answered cattily, smirking at (Y/n) before saving her progress on her game.

Deciding to just ignore Yuri’s taunts, (Y/n) shook her head and pulled out the book that they were going to discuss for the day— a contemporary, sci-fi-esque thriller that explored the possibilities of genetic mutations in humans and the so-called mutants running their own cartel so they could earn a living… and eventually take over the city they were in. It was a nice read, but not that great in (Y/n)’s opinion.

Without much squabble from her club mates, they stopped all the personal things they were doing and proceeded to make a circle around the president and vice president duo in the middle of the room.

They argued about the good and bad points of the chapters that they’d read for the week, and tried to decipher the symbolism that the author seemed to leave with every chance that he got. All in all, it was quite an engaging session— with some of her _kouhai_ getting too carried away and presenting their ideals too passionately. 

“No, no, no, I think that Mitsuki- _kun_ should have just taken the doctors hostage and forced them to work for the cartel-” Mariko, one of the first years in the club, stated passionately— even going as far as to stand up to get her point across. 

(Y/n) nodded her assent, and then pondered on her words for a while before answering, “True, but he was developing a conscience— which is dangerous in his line of work— so he didn’t really have a choice but to let the doctors go.” 

The discussion went on like this, with more people taking sides on the matter until a knock sounded on the door— which made everyone jump in their seats.

Everyone looked over to the door, where the one and only Kuroo Tetsurō stood so casually as he lifted a hand in greeting. “ _Osu_.”

At the sight of him, (Y/n) excused herself from the circle of people and made her way over to her lover. Kuroo only smiled at her before pulling her by the waist and pressing a kiss to her forehead— which had her eyes widening and her heart racing in surprise. He didn’t even bother doing it behind the wall, out of sight of everyone in the room, and it irked (Y/n) that she was still embarrassed about it even though he’d kissed her in front of other people before. 

It was rare that the volleyball club was done before the literature club —and since Kuroo’s and (Y/n)’s feelings had only come into light recently— so seeing Kuroo picking his fiancée up was a first.

“You’re early,” the (h/c) haired girl remarked quietly, reaching up and wiping a speck of dirt from Kuroo’s cheek, just below the very faint remnants of the bruise that he’d gotten from Sugawara. “We still have some things to discuss, though. Do you mind waiting for me?”

The raven-haired male shrugged, only mildly bothered that his schedule was basically trashed because of this predicament. He wanted to tell her to tell everyone to hurry up, but he knew that an argument would only stem from it, so he kept his mouth shut about it. “I’m still going home with you anyway, so I don’t mind.” 

(Y/n) flushed at the blatant reminder of his intentions tonight, and she slapped his chest lightly as a way to retaliate. “You’re gonna be late for the last train if you go home with me.” 

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m staying with you while your parents are gone,” Kuroo answered smugly, chuckling before he pressed his lips to (Y/n)’s cheek and grabbed her hand to lead her back to the circle of people who were trying their best to hide the fact that they were spying on them. He could understand, though; he really didn’t look like the approachable type, so he intimidated mostly everyone at school. “Now, introduce me to your friends, (Y/n).” 

She wanted to ask him how he’d gotten her parents to let him stay with her for the three days that they were gone—and how she didn’t know about any of his plans until today— but he was already plopping her down on the seat that she’d vacated earlier, while he sat down on the desk attached to the chair. Maybe this was their chance to talk about things between them?

Admittedly, she was happy that Kuroo was making an effort to know her friends from her club, but at the same time she felt apprehension because she knew how gruff he could be with his friends, and these people weren’t used to that kind of treatment— so she could only cross her fingers and hope that they would see his charm and not be intimidated by him.

She didn’t have to be so worried, though, because even though everyone was shy at first, they eventually got comfortable enough to ask him questions— like when their next game was, or what their training regimen was like, and other inane things that made (Y/n) smile. From the corner of her eye, she saw Yuri roll her eyes and purse her lips as the volleyball captain answered all the questions good-naturedly.

“Kuroo- _senpai_ , do you have a favorite book?” One of the first years piped up from the back of the circle, which had (Y/n) turning her full attention to the man beside her— also very curious of his answer. 

To her heart’s misfortune, he looked down at her with those arresting golden eyes of his and made the said muscle work triple time; all with a look. “I don’t, but I do have a favorite myth: the _Tanabata_ myth.”

“ _Eh_!?” Most of the girls in the room wanted to swoon at Kuroo’s choice of myth, but held back in fear of earning their vice president’s ire.

(Y/n) furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, not expecting Kuroo to like a myth that was so… feminine, but liking that he had good taste in stories. She couldn’t help but ask, “Why that one?” 

Silence engulfed the room as everyone waited for the explanation—even Yuri was silent— and Kuroo tossed and turned it in his head if he should tell so many people about something so personal, so he decided to just shrug it off. “Personal reasons.”

After that, more questions flew at the volleyball captain— the group’s earlier discussion forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohmygod I just watched Bohemian Rhapsody at the cinema and it was amazing.  
> I wanted to just stand up and sing since there were only, like, two other people in the cinema as well.  
> But still, I got so shy. Oh well.  
> Thank you for the comments and the kudos.  
> They make me so happy. :D xx


	26. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little smut to tide everyone over, since I just noticed that I was going light on the sinning.  
> I think I need to go confess after re-reading this.  
> Maybe on Sunday.

“Why the _Tanabata_ myth, Tetsurō?” (Y/n) asked curiously as she and Kuroo walked back to her house, hands laced together and bodies pressed closely in the dark of the night.

The raven-haired male smiled, fully expecting his fiancée to ask him this question when they were alone. “Because you would always look so happy when you talked about it when we went to the festivals. You didn’t care that I was trying to tune you out, you just kept going on and on about the stars and _Orihime_ meeting _Hikoboshi_. Every single year, you would tell me that story, until you just… stopped talking altogether.”

(Y/n) felt a sad smile tug at her lips, and she leaned her head against Kuroo’s arm as she replied, “Maybe next year we can go to the festival and I can tell you the myth again.”

“I’d really like that.”

 

***

 

The house was dark when they arrived at the front door, which had (Y/n) pursing her lips in contempt because she needed to ask her parents to get those lights that can be hooked up to the Wi-Fi; it wasn’t that she was lazy… well, that was it: she was just lazy. She fished the keys for the house from her school bag, unlocking the door and flipping the light switch as soon as it was cracked wide enough for her hand to slip through.

Kuroo raised an eyebrow at his fiancée’s abrupt actions, only observing and following her as she walked inside the house, locked the door behind them, and started flipping on light switches that illuminated the rooms that they were walking into. He also remembered that she insisted on using a nightlight when they were up in Miyagi… which was just curious. 

“Are you afraid of the dark, (y/n)?” The volleyball captain asked aloud, moving to stand in front of aforementioned girl. He didn’t know the layout of the house that well, but the least he could do was turn the lights on for her.

Her eyebrows raised up in inquiry, before she burst out laughing. “Afraid of the dark? No. I just can’t see very well in the dark since my eyes are starting to go bad; they’re not at the point where I need glasses yet, but I might need to get a pair soon.”

Unexpectedly, Kuroo felt worry course through him; true, it was normal for someone’s eyes to go bad, but he couldn’t help it. What if one day she just woke up and couldn’t see a thing? What then? Maybe he could search for a good optometrist and ask her to get checked over there-

His thoughts were put to a halt when (Y/n) snapped her fingers in front of his face, effectively bringing him out of his panicked thoughts. She grinned at him, finding it adorable that he was **worried** **about** **her** , She could just see it on his face; she didn’t even need to ask him to confirm it. “Stop panicking, Tetsurō. I’m not going to go blind or anything, I hope.”

The raven-haired male frowned. “That’s not very reassuring.” 

“Just don’t worry about it, okay? I’m fine; this is normal… though everyone in my family has 20/20 vision…” she mused, placing a hand on her chin as if she was deep in thought. “Maybe it’s because they don’t read as much as I do. But Yuri reads a lot as well… so maybe it’s just me.” 

“Speaking of Yuri, why didn’t she walk with us? I know we don’t really get along, but…” he shrugged by way of finishing his sentence, letting his lover push him into the kitchen where she proceeded to rummage around in the fridge and pull out various vegetables and a small slab of beef.

(Y/n) briefly paused in her ministrations, trying to think of how to tell Kuroo the real reason without pissing him off. “Well… Yuri kind of doesn’t… you know… like you? She absolutely hates the fact that I’m still with you, but she’s only looking out for me.”

Kuroo was uncharacteristically quiet, making (Y/n) fear that she’d broken him, but he bounced back after a couple of minutes. “Well, I don’t like her either. Sometimes I wonder how you two are related— but then you do something that proves that both of you are, indeed, cousins. Do you want any help with that?”

He’d changed topics so quickly that it almost gave her whiplash, but she shook her head and moved on to set up the cutting board and the different bowls that she was going to use to hold the prepped vegetables. She was leaning over and washing her hands in the sink when she felt Kuroo’s familiar hands on her waist— and his hips grinding against her behind.

A blush colored her cheeks, but she made no move to stop him— no one else was home, anyway; it was an entirely different story when they were at school where the risk of getting seen fucking was raised ten-fold. She turned the tap off and just waited for things to unfold.

“Sorry, I just can’t resist,” Kuroo whispered gruffly, lifting the hem of (Y/n)’s skirt and thrusting his clothed erection against her lace-clad pussy. “You know how much I love seeing lace on you.”

A breathless hum was the (h/c) haired girl’s response to that, while her raven-haired lover pulled the said offending material down to her thighs to expose her wetness. Kuroo smirked, before delving his fingers inside her pussy without any preamble; she moaned aloud, clutching the edge of the sink with both hands as Kuroo scissored his fingers inside her and let his thumb play with her clit.

“You’re not stopping me, why?” The captain teased, getting down on his knees so he could replace his thumb with his mouth— which sent (Y/n) into a frenzy of moans; legs trembling at the imminent threat of her oncoming orgasm. Kuroo just chuckled and nibbled on the tiny nub, feeling so smug when she bucked her pussy against his face in search for more pleasure.

(Y/n) reached back and carded her hand through Kuroo’s hair, taking purchase in his locks as she pulled him deeper between her legs. “Please, Tetsurō, let me cum. I’m so close.”

His fingers thrusted faster in her, curling up against her g-spot as his mouth proceeded to suck at her clit and play with it with his tongue. It wasn’t even minutes later that she came around his fingers, mewling so lewdly as she rode out her orgasm so shamelessly.

With a smug smirk, Kuroo rose up to his feet and pushed (Y/n)’s underwear down to her feet—where she then proceeded to step out of it before spreading her legs for her lover. “Please, Tetsurō.”

Hastily, the raven-haired male pulled his sweatpants and boxers off before stroking his impressive hard-on. He let his eyes take in (Y/n)’s figure that was leaning over the sink and now clutching it again with both hands; she looked so tempting with her pussy waiting for him like that, and even though he wanted nothing more than to fill her up with his cum, he also wanted to hear her scream for him— and he knew just how to do it.

Angling himself so that his cock was teasing her entrance, he lifted a hand up and gave her right butt cheek a resounding slap. He got what he wanted, because she released a strangled scream that was a mix of pain and pleasure, before she pushed her hips into him in an attempt to slip his cock in her.

“Do you want my cock in you that badly?” Kuroo taunted, giving said cock a few strokes as he let the head slip between her folds before he ran it up and down her wet slit— lingering on her clit and shallowly thrusting it into her opening. “Tell me, (Y/n).”

(Y/n) was nodding her head in assent, not willing to be reduced to begging him like last time. Kuroo, however, didn’t like that as he gave her ass cheek another resounding slap. She yelped once more, even wetter now that Kuroo was playing her body so skillfully.

“I want to hear you say it.”

She shook her head, and was met with another slap to her ass. She was absolutely dripping now, and even more needy to feel his cock filling her pussy, that she relented. “Please, Tetsu, I want your cock so bad.”

“Good girl.” With that, Kuroo slammed his dick all the way in to the hilt, letting out a groan of pleasure when he felt her walls squeezing him so tightly. He dragged his cock between her walls with shallow thrusts at first, before pulling out almost all the way and bottoming out in her; which had her grabbing the lip of the sink to help her stay upright. 

(Y/n) kept meeting him thrust for thrust even though her knees were shaking with the pleasure that she felt; involuntarily clenching on his cock when he brought his hand down on her ass every once in a while; crying out so lewdly as his cock dragged against her walls with every thrust, until she felt Kuroo’s thumb pressing against her other hole.

She yelped in embarrassment, feeling her already-warm cheeks heat up even more at his actions. “W-what are you doing, Tetsurō!?”

“Trust me, (Y/n).” With that, he let his spit drip out of his mouth and onto her other hole, using his thumb to lube it up before he gently pushed it into the puckered orifice. (Y/n)’s cries got impossibly louder with his thrusts, and it wasn’t long before she was cumming all over his cock— he wasn’t even close to being done yet.

So, he continued thrusting into her; relishing in her mewls and halfhearted protests of being too sensitive as he moved his thumb in time with his dick. He had never tried anal with anyone before— didn’t feel the urge to claim every part of his past girlfriends (if they could even be called that)— but with (Y/n), it was like he was this insatiable lust monster that wanted to mark every part of her; he was hopeless.

“I’m cumming,” Kuroo moaned breathlessly, thrusting even faster and digging his thumb even deeper in her ass until his release washed over him— unabashedly bottoming out in her and coating her tight walls with thick ropes of his cum as she followed behind and came for the third time.

He laid his chest flush against her back, cringing when he realized that he had been so needy that they didn’t even get to take most of their clothes off. A chuckle passed his lips, not even bothering to pull his thumb and cock out of her since she just felt so good; if he had a choice, he would choose to stay like this forever— or maybe that was the horndog in him speaking.

“I love you so much, (Y/n),” Kuroo whispered sweetly, peppering the crook of his fiancée’s neck with languid and open-mouthed kisses.

Her face was still aflame with a blush—so embarrassed that Kuroo had done that to her during sex, but even more embarrassed that she **enjoyed it immensely**. She wanted to be ashamed of her pervertedness, and she’d told Kuroo of this a week ago during their after sex pillow talk, but he assured her that he loved that she was adventurous in bed. “I love you, too, but can you get your thumb out of… _ah_ …”

With a chuckle, Kuroo pulled his thumb out of her ass, full-on laughing when he heard her gasp of pleasure. He was getting hard again, and he stayed where he was so that they could continue on to their second round.

“Maybe we should try anal this weekend?”

(Y/n) screeched in embarrassment, trying to buck her hips to get Kuroo away from her, but it only served to stimulate him again, and she could only moan aloud when he languidly thrusted in and out of her. “ _B-baka hentai_!”

“This weekend, then, (Y/n). I can’t wait.” Kuroo latched on to her neck, leaving a mark on her and smirking in triumph when she didn’t say anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... how was it?  
> Should I add more smut to the story? I don't exactly love writing them, but they're alright. Or maybe just continue sprinkling them in every now and then? Idk, friends.  
> Thank you for the comments and the kudos, as always. <3


	27. Mystic Messenger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Laying it on thick with the foreshadowing here.  
> I just love it.  
> This is so self-indulgent and productive at the same time. >:D  
> Thank you for the kudos and the comments!  
> Also, I have a somewhat-important dilemma concerning the story which will be in the end notes.

“I think it’s time that we had that talk,” Kuroo began softly as he plopped down on (Y/n)’s bed, content with watching her flit around with a cotton night slip that teetered between innocent and downright obscene. She looked at him through her vanity mirror, rubbing some moisturizer on her cheeks before moving on to brush the tangle of wet hair on her head. 

“You won’t fall asleep on me like last week?” The statement was said so cattily that it made Kuroo blush and avert his gaze from (Y/n)’s through the mirror.

He ran a hand through his damp hair and tried pushing it away from his eyes; he knew that his fiancée loved seeing him with his hair down— and it solved one of his most pressing concerns— but it was only temporary. “I won’t,” he answered sheepishly.

(Y/n) didn’t take her eyes off of the man on her bed, noting how he pushed his hair back and frowned when he seemed to remember something unpleasant; she guessed that it had to do with his hair because he kept brushing it back with his hand, as if it was going to stay flat that way. She had been tempted for a while now to help him with his dilemma, but never really had the chance to do so— maybe this was her time? “Do you want me to help you with your hair?”

“Why bother? It’s just going to stick up overnight anyway, because of the pillows,” Kuroo griped. “Besides, aren’t we going to talk?”

“Then don’t sleep on your stomach like you usually do, besides, this will stick even if you do. We can talk while I fix your hair. Now, come here.”

She waved him over, getting out of the seat for her vanity and guiding him to sit down on the plush chair when he was standing a few feet away. The sheer amount of makeup and hair products meticulously arranged by type across the wooden surface was a bit intimidating— but gave Kuroo hope that (Y/n) knew what she was doing.

(Y/n) stood behind him, placing her nimble hands on his shoulders before letting her fingers drift up into his hair. The feeling of her nails gently scratching against his scalp was enough to make his eyes droop, but he forced them to stay open because she would maim him if he fell asleep on her again.

He must have dozed off a little, because his eyes snapped open when she tugged roughly at his hair. “Don’t you dare fall asleep on me again, Kuroo Tetsurō.”

“ _Ah, gomen, gomen_. Your hands just feel so nice,” the raven-haired male stammered, shooting his lover a sheepish smile through the mirror. She merely rolled her eyes and reached out for the hair cream that she kept tucked away in one of her drawers.

Scooping out a good amount, she put the lid back on the container and placed it back where she got it— shutting the drawer with a resound thud that made Kuroo wince. She spread the product out on her palms, making sure to have it evenly distributed on her hand, before carding her product-laden hands through Kuroo’s hair.

“What did you want to talk about?” Kuroo asked quietly, intently watching (Y/n) massage the cream into his hair. “Just so you know, I stopped seeing other girls after we made the engagement official three years ago.”

She looked up from her task, looking adorable with her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed a little bit in concentration. Their eyes connected through the mirror once more and she smiled at him— a warm, grateful smile that took his breath away. “Thank you. I really appreciate that.”  
  
He couldn’t speak, too dumbfounded at her bright aura to even form a sentence in his head. She just looked so… beautiful when she smiled at him like that; like he was all that mattered to her. 

A few beats passed and she broke the silence engulfing them. “I wanted to talk about what we don’t like about each other— not the petty things that can be overlooked, but those things that stay with us. Like… how you didn’t bother thinking of how I would feel when you kept telling me that you hated me.”

A chill ran through Kuroo’s body, making him feel like the lowest life form to ever walk the earth, but he listened to her— instead of cutting her off to defend himself like his instinct was telling him to do. He promised her that they would fix things, and this was the mature thing to do if he wanted a future that had her in it.

Without any protest from Kuroo, (Y/n) continued— taking that as a sign that he was willing to listen. Truthfully, it made her heart swell with both pride and love for him, because the old Kuroo wouldn’t have even listened to her; it proved to her that he really was willing to work with her to fix things between them. “Or how you get angry at me whenever something upsets you. It hurts me when you accuse me or just yell at me. In turn, I shouldn’t be too sensitive when it comes to you because I know that anger is your natural reflex when you’re upset.”

Kuroo nodded. Digesting her words and nodding to show her that he understood. “I’m sorry, (Y/n). I’ll try my best not to do that anymore.”

“Now, it’s your turn. Tell me something you want me to work on.”

He tried his hardest to think of something that he wanted her to work on, but he came up with nothing— he wanted her just as she was, but maybe a little more open with him. “I don’t like it when you’re not open with me— whether it’s how I acted like a dick, or if it’s just a tiny spat with Yuri, I want to know about it so I can comfort you.”

Now, it was (Y/n)’s turn to nod. She knew of her tendency to keep things to herself until she couldn’t take it anymore, so she understood his point. After a few seconds, another smile graced her lips, and she leaned down to press a kiss against Kuroo’s cheek— which had him blushing at the unexpected but not unwelcome show of affection. “Okay. I’ll try to be more open with you. Oh, I almost forgot: Your jealousy with Kōshi! We are just friends, nothing more.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew that they were true. She had been confused because Sugawara was  **there** , and he was attainable; the easy way out, per se. But now she realized that it really was Kuroo that she wanted— good or bad, he was the one that made her heart beat.

“Can we pass on that one?  I’m a jealous person when it comes to you; there’s no changing that. Besides, we already settled it between ourselves— I’ll tell you about it some other day. Right now, I’m jealous of that slip you’re wearing because it’s hugging you in all the right places.” 

“ _Baka_! _Urusai, baka_!”

“I do have one request, though.”

Immediately, the comical expression on (Y/n)’s face dropped like a hat, only to be replaced by a serious one that spelled business. “What is it?”

Kuroo knew that he was being too sappy and presumptuous with this particular request, but it had been pushed to the outskirts of his mind for far too long now. If they were going to make things work, they needed to do what exactly he was thinking. “If a problem comes, we need to take the problem on together; regardless of whose fault it is, we need to face it as a couple, not tear each other down even though it’s second nature to put the blame on someone else.”

She couldn’t argue with that logic of his, even though he was thinking way too far ahead; but she liked that— she liked that he had taken something so big into consideration when it had skipped her mind altogether. He might act childish at times, but this proved that that was only one facet of his personality; that there was still more to him that she didn’t know and was only going to know as the years go on. “Okay. I promise to be your partner in crime.”

“You make it sound like I just proposed to murder someone.”

(Y/n) laughed; a pleasant chime to Kuroo’s ears that lulled his eyelids into drooping again. “If you ever do, I think Kōshi will be at the top of your list. Honestly, Tetsu, you don’t have anything to worry about.”

The nickname had his heart fluttering in his chest; it was the first time that she’d called him such a personal thing and—dare he say it— it made him happier than to hear her tell him that she loved him. He couldn't quite describe the feeling: happy, giddy, excited, **alive** , and afraid all at the same time. Still, even though she was being all cute with him, it irked him that she brought up Sugawara again; like she was doing it purposely to get a rise out of him. “Can we not talk about him, please?”

“Fine, fine. I’ll let it go… for now. Oh, which reminds me, I have to answer his text!”

“(Y/n),” he warned, voice dangerously low but holding no real malice in it.

She giggled. “No more, I promise.”

Ten minutes went by like that; just with the two of them discussing things that mildly bothered them about the other— like how PDA was sometimes too much for (Y/n), or how (Y/n)’s hot and cold moods confused Kuroo to no end and how he really didn’t want her to change that drastically; maybe something that was a cool in-between was nicer.

They had to stop though, when (Y/n) pulled out the hair dryer and proceeded to blow dry Kuroo’s hair with one of her cylindrical brushes. She was so giddy that she couldn’t help but comment, “Your hair is going to look so shiny, Tetsu; with the boar hair bristles doing its magic… _ah_.”

“Boar… hair?” The middle blocker was confused, and mildly scared, that girls actually used these things on a daily basis. He was thankful that he was a guy, because he didn’t know how he was going to cope with this otherwise.

After about half an hour styling the volleyball captain’s hair, (Y/n) was finally done. And when she stepped away from in front of Kuroo so that he could see his reflection, he had to bring a hand up to touch his new hair-do— because, truth be told, he looked **hot**. If he was even more vain than he already was, he would say that he wouldn’t mind fucking himself.

“I think I just fell in love,” (Y/n) cooed with a giggle, grabbing her phone from the vanity and snapping a couple of pictures of Kuroo. “You look like the guy from that _otome_ game that I used to play with Yuri… _Jumin Han_!”

 _Jumin Han_? Kuroo could feel the jealousy coursing through him as his fiancée continued to gush about this character in her game. Sometimes he forgot just how nerdy she was about games like Kenma.

“ _Ah_ , _Jumin-sama_ , I want you to give yourself to me so, so bad.”

Kuroo scowled at that, crossing his arms over his chest and narrowing his eyes at (Y/n) as she sighed dreamily; as if she was imagining this _Jumin_ - _sama_ guy doing things that only **he** was allowed to do to her.

(Y/n)’s eyes snapped open when she felt a hand on her waist pulling her down so that she was sitting on Kuroo’s lap. She knew that she shouldn’t do it, but she did anyway, “ _Ne_ , _Jumin-sama_!?  _N-nani_!?”

“I swear to all the gods, (Y/n)…” Kuroo muttered under his breath before pressing his lips aggressively against her soft ones that were only a few inches away.

“But… _Jumin-sama_ ,” the (h/c) haired girl pouted, batting her eyelashes at Kuroo to butter him up. “I want to suck your cock, _Jumin-sama_.”

Kuroo screwed his eyes shut and counted to ten, because he wanted to yell at (Y/n), just pin her down on her bed and fuck her so good that there would only be **his** name on her mind. He wanted so badly to do that, but was shaken from his reverie when he heard her laughing so heartily.

Her arms wound themselves around his neck and she repositioned herself so that she was straddling his lap, then proceeded to pepper his face with butterfly kisses that sent heat coiling in his stomach. “Just kidding. I only want you, _Tetsu_. Though, we could go back to this one day and use it as roleplay material.”

There she was again, giving him whiplash— one moment she was all cute and shy, and the next she was going on about sucking his cock and roleplaying as this _Jumin Han_ during sex. He was basically guaranteed to never have a dull married life.

“I have one request, though: I want a picture of us; a nice one for my wallpaper.”

“Alright. Fine.”

“Thank you, _Jumin_ - _sama_.”

“(Y/n)!”

“I love you, Tetsu.”

 _Again with that feeling_. Kuroo thought with a small smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been writing a few of the chapters and right now I'm on chapter 32, but I kept thinking, 'oh god, this is going to be so long. An average of 2.5k words per chapter and i still can't get the damn story any shorter.'  
> At this rate, I might finish at 45 or 50. Because I just have so many things planned for them.  
> I might omit a few from my list so that the story is shorter though, but I'm going to sacrifice **some** character development for it; nothing too drastic though.  
>  What do you guys think? Sacrifice the CD to keep things short or nah?  
> I know some of you are fine with reading 40+ chapters, but it does get daunting to see a 50-chapter story on Ao3.  
> In fact, the longest multi-chapter fics I've seen were only 17 to 20 chapters long; excluding my Tsukishima story which was 25 chapters long.  
> I don't know, I just don't like rushing things in my stories. I feel like they lack something when I do.  
> Help, please. Omg.


	28. Whipped

The following day at school was definitely a weird one for Kuroo. Not only had he gathered so many stares from **everyone** that saw him, but some girls even had the gall to swoon over him even with (Y/n) holding his hand. Judging by the way her lips were set into a taut line, she was displeased about the female attention that he was receiving. 

“ **My** _Jumin Han_.” He’d heard her grumble under her breath as she practically pulled him all the way up to hers and Kenma’s classroom. She didn’t say anything much, just leaned up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek— which had his brain working overtime to make sense of this development, because she never really was one to initiate PDA at school. He was almost disappointed that she was still referring to him as that character’s name, when he heard her mutter, “ **My** Tetsurō. Mine, mine, mine.” 

 _Possessive_. He kind of liked it on her.

 

***

 

Volleyball practice wasn’t any different than usual, save for the throng of girls up in the stands and cheering for him. He knew that he had admirers, but they were never this… vocal about it. He was getting teasing nudges and claps on his back from his team mates, but he could only feel anxiety gnawing at him.

She didn’t slam a door open or make any noise to indicate her arrival, but the moment that (Y/n) entered the gym, Kuroo’s eyes immediately zeroed in on her figure as she climbed up the steps to the bleachers and plopped down on one of the front row seats; arms crossed over her ample chest, and lips twisted in an adorable pout that he wanted to kiss into a smile. 

Not long after, Yuri followed her cousin’s route and Kuroo tamped down the urge to hiss at her like a cat. The purple-haired girl just raised his hackles, even though she wasn’t doing anything to him per se— he just didn’t like her, like (Y/n)’s cousin Emi from Miyagi— what was it with (Y/n)’s cousins and this developing cycle of not liking them? 

“So, you’re just planning on skipping club activities to keep watch over your precious _Ōni_?” Yuri, sporting a mirthful smirk, asked her cousin aloud as said cousin kept sending the girls a few seats over the scariest glare that she could muster; which was, in her opinion, pretty scary with those sharp features of hers. “Though, I have to say that you made him look human with that _Jumin Han_ hair.”

 “Not now, Yuri. I have to tell these **HUSSIES TO BACK OFF MY TETSURŌ**.” She didn’t even bother to lower her voice for the last part, instead just let her words fly so freely and loudly in the gym— which had the entire volleyball team stopping in their tracks and looking at her.

Her eyes widened in embarrassment, and her cheeks flushed a dark red before she buried her face in her hands to hide from the team’s prying eyes. From beside her, Yuri took pity on her and guided her down the steps so they could exit the gym. 

Kuroo wasn’t even embarrassed about his predicament, but was happy that she was so publicly staking a claim on him that it made him a bit hard in his shorts. He dropped the ball that he was holding and raced over to where his fiancée was being guided out of the gym by her witch of a cousin.

“ _Matte_ , (Y/n)!” He called out. 

Thankfully, she stopped in her tracks and peered at him through the gaps in her fingers. She didn’t say anything, just broke away from Yuri so that she could meet Kuroo halfway. What happened next was enough to make her want to disappear, though. 

He pulled her hands away from her face and planted a kiss against her lips— which had a few of the members of the volleyball club balking and yelling at the unexpected development between them. Kuroo only broke away when he heard Manabu- _sensei_ ’s angry shouts for him to get back on the court.

With a smug smirk, Kuroo jogged back to where he was previously standing, and waved at his lover— then cried out, “I love you, (Y/n)!”

Everyone in the gym—especially the players— started losing their minds at Kuroo’s words; as no one had expected the intimidating captain to have **those** kinds of feelings, or even the courage to admit them so openly— but they were all proven wrong.

 

***

 

Two days later found them at a completely different scenario, though; with Kuroo frantically searching his bag for the _omamori_ that (Y/n) had given him a few days ago. He let a string of curses flow from his lips as he pulled out every article of clothing that he’d stashed in his gym bag— even shaking them out in case the talisman got wedged between a couple of shirts or something; no such luck, though.

“(Y/n)’s gonna skin me alive for losing it,” the raven-haired captain muttered again, shaking out another shirt in the hopes to find the damn trinket.

His attention was taken away from his dilemma when Shibayama bounded up to them with the news that the girls’ game was about to be done; and he turned to his team mates, giving them a few encouraging words to psych them up for the game with Fukurōdani. Even he was nervous about it because it was Bokuto that they were going up against.

His ears perked up when he picked up on a familiar voice insulting them, though. He turned and was face to face with Nohebi’s captain: Daishō Suguru. Yamamoto was about to pick a fight with the snake-like male, but Kuroo stopped his team’s ace from instigating something that would just bring them more trouble than it was worth.

Still, Daishō kept up with his taunts. “I bet you aren’t even six feet; only keeping your hair like that for the illusion of it."

That fired Kuroo up, and he leaned closer to the other captain before running a hand through his hair to flatten it to his head. “I don’t cheat like that. What about you, though? How’s it feel to get dumped by Mika- _chan_?” 

Daishō balked, clearly surprised that his rival even knew that unfortunate happening in his life. “How did you even know about that!? I didn’t get dumped! I dumped her! I bet you don’t even have a girlfriend to dump!”

“Why would I even dump (Y/n)? You think I’m as dumb as you?” Kuroo quipped, pushing back his memories of getting dumped by (Y/n) during the training camp at Shinzen, and the pain that it entailed. “If you must know-” 

Kuroo was cut off by familiar arms wrapping around his waist in a tight hug. Right on time to rub it in the other captain’s face; he thanked the gods for giving him this much of a leverage.

“Tetsurō!” (Y/n) chimed happily, snuggling against her fiancé’s jacket-clad back before slipping her hands beneath the flaps so she could subtly grope his abs through his shirt. “Good luck with the game! Do you have the _omamori_ that I gave you?"

His heart all but stopped in his chest at her question, but he decided to ignore it for now— just until he got rid of the snake bastard in front of him. He pulled (Y/n) to stand in front of him, smirking at the look of shock and mild admiration on Daishō’s face.

“As I was saying earlier, Daishō… if you must know, (Y/n) isn’t my girlfriend…” he reached down and prayed that she wore the ring that he’d given her way back during their first date— like she always did— and held her right hand up so that he could see the silver and garnet piece on her finger. “She’s my fiancée. So **HA**!” 

“Fiancée!? You’re getting married?” Daishō turned to (Y/n) who was also fired up with so much excitement for her first time watching a game while in an official relationship with Kuroo. She’d woken up that morning with a bright smile on her face and thanked the deities that the game was scheduled on a Saturday, and not on Kuroo’s birthday as well. “You’re marrying **him**?” 

Her eyebrows furrowed at the rude question, and she scowled at the man with snake-like features in front of her. It was obvious that him and Kuroo had some beef going on between them, and she wanted to support her lover— even if it was petty and immature; he would surely appreciate the gesture. “Of course I am.”

“But why him? He’s just going to cheat on you like how he cheats during height measurements,” Nohebi’s captain answered with a laugh; clearly just saying things to rile up both (Y/n) and Kuroo.

Kuroo tried to pounce on the other male, but (Y/n) caught him by his sleeve before he could actually throw a punch in. She knew that Kuroo would never do that; still, it irked her that this person was badmouthing Kuroo in front of her.

She tried to wrack her brain for any information on this guy, and when she saw the school name on his jacket, she pieced the puzzles together as she recalled overhearing Tetsurō telling Yamamoto and the others a few days ago that Daishō was dumped by his girlfriend.

“Maybe that’s why you got dumped by your girlfriend, Daishō- _san_? Because you don’t have even an ounce of charm in your body?”

A quiet chorus of ‘ooh’s echoed in the room, and (Y/n) pointed straight at Nohebi’s captain— even though it was so rude and uncharacteristic of her to do. “Nekoma is different this year, and they’ll see you in the finals. If you even make it that far.”

With that, Daishō glared down at (Y/n) before turning his glare to Kuroo and walking away without a word— clearly defeated by the petite girl in front of Kuroo. 

As soon as the other team was gone, the tension left (Y/n)’s shoulders as she was met by awed expressions and enthusiastic his and hellos from the team. She returned all their greetings as enthusiastically, then turned back to Kuroo who had been unusually quiet during her exchange with the others.

The raven-haired captain didn’t give her any warning, just cupped her face in his hands before he pressed a hungry kiss to her lips— and the action had everyone groaning and turning away from the pair. “Have I ever told you how amazing you are? Well, you are. So fucking amazing.”

(Y/n) blushed at the compliment, and smiled sweetly up at Kuroo. “Thank you, Tetsu; you’re quite amazing yourself. Oh, you never did answer my question earlier about the _omamori_ …”

Kuroo froze— both in surprise and fear— as he forced his lips up into a tight smile. “About that… I seem to have lost it.” 

It all happened in a flash: (Y/n) had pushed his hands away from her face and grabbed him by the ear, pulling him down to her height so she could lecture him. He blushed madly at his predicament, and looked down guiltily at the floor while his team mates all chuckled at his situation— just imagine a guy that was 6’ 2” being held down by the ear and lectured by a woman who was no taller than 5’ 7”; it was an extremely amusing sight. 

“How could you be so irresponsible, Tetsurō? Do you even know how hard I looked for that specific _omamori_? _Aiya_. What’s going to bring you luck now?” 

“Y-you! You’re going to bring me luck!” Kuroo yelped helplessly as his lover still had his ear pinched between her fingers. “I’m already the luckiest guy in the world with you, (Y/n)!”

That had her letting go of him— to his absolute pleasure— as she pouted and looked away from him with a blush coloring her cheeks. “ _Baka_ , Tetsurō.”

“I told you he’s whipped, Lev,” Yamamoto whispered to Lev— or tried to— which earned him a sharp glare from his captain.

“ _Urusai_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are appreciated.  
> Thank you for the kudos!


	29. Kitto Katsu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of warning because this has spoilers for those of you who haven't read the start of the Spring High Preliminary Arc in the Manga.  
> But who am I kidding, everyone's read it already. >:D  
> Also, I was thinking of writing another fic after this one, and the plot bunnies are telling me to make it a thing with Daichi's über athletic sister (or maybe a delinquent).  
> But who would the main interest be???? Any suggestions?

The loss against Fukurōdani was a hard pill to swallow for the Nekoma boys’ volleyball team. They were taking a breather after playing three sets against Bokuto and his team, and everyone’s face was set into matching grim expressions that made even (Y/n) hesitant to approach them; still, she considered them to be her friends, while their captain was her husband-to-be, so that gave her enough determination to overcome her trepidations. 

She wanted to help them in any way possible, even going as far as suggesting to act as their manager at the last minute, but all she got was a firm no from Kuroo the day before— as he wanted her to watch him and just enjoy things from the sidelines. It put her off a bit, but she agreed to his wish nonetheless.

When she’d found out that Kuroo had lost the _omamori_ that she’d given him, she was **mad** because she believed in the power of those little talismans, and she was so close to going out and getting a _Maneki Neko_ at the last minute; Yuri held her back from doing something so drastic, though.

 _So much for bringing Tetsurō luck._ She scoffed quietly at the thought.

Which brought her to her current predicament: holding two bags of mini KitKats before pushing them into Kuroo’s arms; it was either the lucky chocolates or making a thousand paper cranes— but that would have been too long when she needed the luck **today** , and a _Daruma_ doll was out of the question because even though they were cute, they really creeped her out.

“What’s this, (Y/n)?” The raven-haired captain asked, clearly confused, as he looked back and forth between the chocolates and his fiancée.

(Y/n) furrowed her eyebrows in frustration, and heaved a sigh before explaining, “Since you **lost** the _omamori_ I gave you, I figured that you can eat these lucky chocolates. Remember? _Kitto katsu_? Honestly, Tetsurō.”

Everyone’s eyes were on her and their captain then, just waiting for the proverbial ball to drop since Kuroo wasn’t really one to take smartass remarks lightly. They were in for a surprise, though, when he managed a weak smile before opening one of the packs and handing it back to the (h/c) haired girl before him. “Thank you, (Y/n).”

She didn’t answer him verbally, just leaned up on her toes and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, before turning around and tossing the tiny chocolate bars to the unsuspecting members of the team. “I swear to _Kami-sama_ , I will kick your butts if you guys let this get to you. There’s still a chance at Nationals.”

One by one, small smiles lit up the team’s faces, and they enthusiastically dug in to their good luck chocolate.

Kuroo could only look in wonder at how radiant his fiancée looked to him right now; she was practically glowing with that determined fire in her eyes— and that fire was like the light at the end of the dark tunnel that he was traversing. He promised then and there to do his best— not just for the team, or for his coach, but for her.

 

***

 

Instead of sitting idly a few paces away from Nekoma’s cheer team like she had earlier, (Y/n) dragged Yuri up to the very center of the pandemonium and plopped down on the empty seat beside the girl that looked a lot like Yamamoto.

“Hi,” she greeted in a friendly manner, noting the somber mood of both the little girl and the beautiful woman beside her that looked a lot like Lev.

“Oh, hi. Are you here for one of the players as well?” The girl with pigtails asked amicably.

(Y/n) nodded and held a hand out that who she only assumed to be Yamamoto’s sister shook. “(L/n) (Y/n); I’m here for that...” She looked down at the players and pointed at Kuroo. “That one.” 

At her introduction, the girl’s eyes practically glittered with wonder. “Yamamoto Akane. My _oni-chan_ talked about you— you’re Kuroo- _san_ ’s girlfriend.”

The (h/c) haired girl could only blush at the mention of her publicly-known label; nodding and smiling back at Akane to confirm her words. She didn’t bother correcting the younger girl, in lieu of what she and the raven-haired captain had agreed to— even though he certainly wasn’t hesitant about rubbing it in Suguru’s face.

“Oh, and this is Haiba Alisa— she’s Lev’s older sister,” Akane introduced the two, and (Y/n) was absolutely dumbstruck at the silver-haired girl’s beauty; her eyes were even heterochromic— blue and green. She shook the thoughts out of her muddled head and smiled at the older woman.

“Nice to meet you. Oh, this is my cousin Yuri,” (Y/n) hurriedly introduced said cousin, who only smiled and waved at her two new friends. “Don’t mind her; she’s only here because I dragged her here.”

The three girls giggled at that, and settled down to watch the beginning of the game; fingers crossed that the team would win and head to Nationals.

 

***

 

(Y/n) was so frustrated by the time that the first set was close to match point. She wanted to march down there and wring Suguru’s slimy little neck for making her team implode. Even from up in the stands, she could see the frustration etched on Kuroo’s face, and it made her heart hurt for him. She knew how important it was to him to make the Battle at the Garbage Heap happen; it was all he ever talked about when she brought up Karasuno— not to mention the fact that winning a slot to go to Nationals would be an amazing birthday gift to him.

From beside her, Akane was leading the cheerleading team as best as she could; and her admiration for Yamamoto’s little sister only grew more. She wished she could be that confident in supporting Kuroo.

Her eyes turned back to the game, and frowned when she saw Suguru brownnosing the referee with his admission of a net touch. Her team’s faces all twisted in frustration at the snake like opponent in front of them, which made anger bubble up inside her as well.

When the team won the first set, she all but cried out in joy— she was so close to hugging Yuri and jumping up and down, but she held herself back because she knew that it was only going to get tougher from here with the pressure being put on Nohebi. So, she sat still and watched.

Nekoma was falling behind again, and she felt frustrated tears prick at the backs of her eyes— it wasn’t even about just Kuroo anymore; it was about them as a whole. She didn’t think that she would come to care so much for them with the short time she’d spent with them, but she knew just how hard they worked to be here, and she didn’t want all of that to go to waste.

The scowl on her lover’s face was just too much for her to handle; she tried to reign in her feelings, but enough was enough— she couldn’t just sit idly by without saying a word like earlier. He needed a little push, and if she looked crazy giving him that push, then so be it.

With a renewed sense of purpose, (Y/n) stood up in her seat and cupped her hands around her mouth, inhaling deeply before yelling at the top of her lungs— cutting Akane, who was about to bring up the crowd’s cheers with her megaphone, off. “Kuroo Tetsurō! I will kick all of your butts if you lose now! Don’t let them get to you!”

Her throat felt like a cat had scratched it by the time she was done; she was breathless and her hands were shaking with the sheer effort that it took her to even stand up in front of such a crowd. It made her feel better, though, when she saw that the boys looked up at her and back at their captain with wide grins on their faces; she’d succeeded in giving all of them the push they needed.

“You heard the lady! She’s gonna kick our butts if we lose!” Kuroo bellowed, a grin stretching his lips as his eyes lingered on his beautiful fiancée up in the bleachers. He gave her a sly wink, which had her blushing and cupping her cheeks with her hands— inciting a well-needed chuckle from him. He felt like he was falling all over again for her; it was crazy, he was about to go crazy, maybe he already was.

Nekoma had caught up after that, and with Nohebi only leading by two more points, (Y/n) felt like she was going to burst with excitement— until the unfortunate development of Yaku spraining his ankle after an amazing save sent him to the bench to be treated. Shibayama was subbed in for him, and his nervousness was so palpable that (Y/n) was suffocating on it. Still, she had hope that he could do it.

Her thoughts were ripped away from Shibayama adjusting to the team when she saw Kuroo's face twist in pain— before turning back and calling Shibayama to sub with him. He was holding his right ring finger tight, as if he was trying to hold it together. Inuoka had held out the first aid kit and Kuroo brought out a roll of tape before taping his injury, focusing more on the nail than anything else; which had (Y/n) gripping the banister tight to keep herself from going down there and checking on him.

As if sensing (Y/n)'s worried stare, Kuroo looked up at the stands and met her (e/c) gaze— only to offer her a thumbs up to show her that he was fine. He could see her furrowed eyebrows, and casually brushed the pad of his thumb and middle finger over his eyebrows, like he would do to her if she had been beside him. He quirked an eyebrow up at her—that he wasn't even sure she could see— but judging by the way she returned his thumbs up with one of her own, he knew that he had eased her worries.

Lo and behold, Shibayama did do it. He adjusted well to Yaku’s role in the team as the libero, and helped the team take back the lead from Nohebi.

When the loud thud of the ball landing on the floor echoed in the gym, (Y/n) let out such a loud scream that proved how really fitting her nickname from her grandfather really was. She wrapped her arms around Yuri and started jumping up and down— not minding that the doctor specifically advised her not to do anything as strenuous as that until her internal stitches healed. The (h/c) haired girl couldn’t care less about anything at that moment— only pure happiness for Kuroo and his teammates clogging up her mind.

Even though she was so happy, Yuri wasn’t celebrating as hard has her, and that only sucked for her; so she turned to face the team below her— subduing her screams down into a wide grin as she pushed her tears back. She was just so proud of the boys for snagging a spot to go to Nationals.

Kuroo broke free from the group hug that he had been squished into, not bothering to even fix his rumpled shirt as he searched the stands for those familiar (e/c) eyes that he loved so much. It wasn’t long until their gazes connected, and—even though it really wasn’t his style— he kissed his palm and stretched his arm out as if sending the kiss up to her.

A few girls behind (Y/n) saw the action and swooned; but she paid them no mind even though she wanted to snap at them— and she pretended to catch Kuroo’s kiss before pressing her fist to her chest, like the dork that she was.

She was so hopeless when it came to him.

 

***

 

“You’re coming home with me tonight,” the voice sent a shiver down (Y/n)’s spine; making a coy smile stretch her lips as she turned around to face the culprit.

“What makes you so sure?”

Kuroo shrugged. “Just a hunch.”

(Y/n) didn’t argue with that, knowing that he deserved the victory sex that he was so craving since last week. "That bleeding finger isn't coming anywhere near me, though."

"But, (Y/n)," the captain whined quietly, wrapping an arm around his fiancée's shoulders and nuzzling his nose against her hair.

"Don't be gross, Tetsurō."

"Fine."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are nice. Very nice. :)  
> Thank you for the kudos!  
> Also, there won't be an update tomorrow.  
> Something urgent came up and I have to plan an intricate menu.  
> Wish me luck. >:D


	30. Itadakimasu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much fluff.  
> So much love.  
> Thank you for being patient with me.

Her heart was beating so fast in her chest that she felt as if she was going to faint.

It wasn’t that she was panicking because she was in danger or something bad had happened, but her heart was lurching in her chest because she wanted everything to be perfect for Kuroo’s birthday— and it also made her uneasy that they were going to play hooky on Monday just so they could stay at the _ryokan_ that she had reserved a room at so they could celebrate in peace; not because she was going to be with Kuroo, but because she was going to ruin her perfect attendance record for the year.

True, the reservation had cost her a pretty penny, but she deemed it worth tapping into her savings for. She just hoped that he liked it.

Kuroo wasn’t expecting to do anything special for his birthday— he was just planning on staying at (Y/n)’s house so they could spend the whole day locked up in her room— but when she told him that she was taking him somewhere nice, and that they weren’t going to school the following day, he suddenly felt so alive. Two days away with (y/n) was akin to spending a whole month in the Caribbean— fun, relaxing, and rife with things that should be illegal.

The qualifiers for Nationals had only happened yesterday, and Kuroo’s body ached in so many places— made worse by his extra activities with his fiancée that night— so he hoped that whatever she had planned for them included a nice bed to sleep in.

“ _Ne_ , (Y/n), are you still not telling me where you’re taking me?” The raven-haired male asked aloud, readjusting his grip on his lover’s hand as he studied her profile.

(Y/n) turned away from the window to her left and swivelled her head to look at Kuroo. She smiled. “No, Tetsu; then it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

“You know I don’t like not knowing things. I just know we’re going to Kanagawa and that’s it— besides, how did you even keep the team from throwing me a party?”

Unbidden, a smirk lifted the corner of the (h/c) haired girl’s lips; making Kuroo shudder at how sinister she looked for a second there. “I have my ways.”

She remembered how she had gone to the boys’ clubroom before Kuroo last Monday; the boys that were there were so shocked to see her at their doorstep that they all stammered various greetings at her before inviting her into the dirty locker room. They **were** going to throw a party for their captain’s birthday, but she convinced them to move it to the Tuesday following his birthday, with the promise of helping them.

Her condition wasn’t enough, though— Yaku and the others wanted Kuroo to be so flustered that he couldn’t speak at his surprise party, so she agreed to plan with them— resulting in a hilarious group chat that she didn’t dare open when he was near in the event that he would read over her shoulder; like he usually did when she was replying to the few texts that Sugawara had been sending her.

“You’re so mean, (Y/n),” the captain pouted, letting go of her hand with a flourish that made her raise her eyebrows.

“And you’re starting to sound so much like Bokuto.”

“ _Ha_!? I’m not.”

“Which further proves my point.” (Y/n) answered with a laugh, before leaning up and pressing a kiss to her fiancé’s cheek. “I still love you, though.”

 

***

 

“ _Yoshiike Ryokan_? But won’t there be separate baths?” Kuroo’s tone was taking on something akin to a whine, as they walked through the expansive garden to get to the main building that would be their safe haven until Monday afternoon.

“You underestimate me too much,” (Y/n) answered smugly, shaking off the sleepiness tugging at her mind by swinging their hands between them. “I booked the room with a private open-air bath. Happy birthday.”

At the mention of the private bath, Kuroo’s eyes practically glittered with devious joy; making him think of all the possibilities with such an amenity at his disposal… so many possibilities, indeed. He hiked up the duffel bag that had his and (Y/n)’s clothes— as he was still staying at her house while her parents were gone and her brother was at university— and quickened his pace.

 _Happy birthday, indeed_. Kuroo thought with a gleeful smile.

Upon checking in, they were led to a spacious suite that had a mix of both modern and traditional accents: low table and satin cushions in the living room, hardwood floors, a luxurious king-sized bed in the bedroom; what caught Kuroo’s eye, and what made his blood practically sing in his veins, was the outdoor bath— it looked and felt like a natural hot spring with the big boulders framing the bath itself, as well as the trees and other shrubbery hiding them away from the world.

Lanterns adorned their room, casting a soft yellow glow in its dim confines. It was absolutely romantic and not at all what he expected anyone to ever plan for his birthday; he would have quite some thanking to do later tonight.

Kuroo turned to look at (Y/n) who was laying down on top of the fluffy down comforter; arms stretched out on either side of her body as a loud yawn escaped her lips. He could see that her eyes were starting to get droopy, and a chuckle escaped him. “Not used to waking up early?”

She turned her head to look at her lover who was making his way towards her, dumping their duffel bag at the foot of the bed before crawling on top of her and caging her with his body. Even though she wanted to reciprocate, she couldn’t because her lack of sleep was catching up with her— they had gotten done around 3 in the morning, and had to wake up at 6 to catch an early train to Kanagawa.

The sleepy expression on her face still wasn’t enough to deter Kuroo, though; he leaned down and captured (Y/n)’s lips with his own, tilting his head to the side so that he could deepen the kiss and slip his tongue into her pliant mouth.

“Thank you,” he whispered between heated kisses, going down to lean on his elbows and lowering his hips so that he was nestled between her thighs. “I really love it… I really love you.”

“ _Hmm_ ,” (Y/n) hummed softly in agreement, languidly letting her hands trail up his chest and shoulders, before letting her fingers delve in his hair; lightly tugging at the raven locks— earning a groan from him. “You know how you can thank me?”

Kuroo’s blood heated up in his veins, flowing immediately down to his dick and making it hard. Lots of possibilities played in his mind— from eating her out, to tying her down and fucking her, to having anal sex outside, but reality eventually caught up with him when she spoke.

“You…” her fingers scratched at his scalp, earning another quiet groan from Kuroo. He couldn’t wait to do whatever her request was. He was so fucking hard already. “Can let me fucking sleep.”

Golden eyes widened a fraction of an inch before closing tightly in laughter. Kuroo let his forehead rest against hers as he laughed— loud and boisterous laughter that made (Y/n) frown in confusion. Her hands slid from his hair down to cup his face, in an effort to find out what was happening with him.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity for (Y/n), Kuroo opened his eyes and grinned down at her before pressing a light kiss against her lips. “You are so unpredictable.”

She was about to answer with a smartass remark that she’d been saving for such words, but a loud yawn cut in and escaped her; further proving to Kuroo just how sleepy she was. He decided to take pity on her and let her take a nap; after all, it was his fault that she was sleep deprived.

He pulled back from the (h/c) haired girl beneath him, sitting on his haunches to keep his weight off of her, before he placed his hands on her thighs. “Come on. Take a bath first and then you can nap.”

“But I’m too sleepy to move, Tetsurō,” (Y/n) whined, struggling to keep her eyes open now that she was on a soft, flat surface.

It seemed that he had no choice. Had she pulled something like this back then, he would have scoffed at her and left her to her devices— if there was even a chance to do something like this; the old him never would have even allowed himself to spend a day with her of his own volition— and he cringed at the thought, he really was a dick.

Slowly, carefully— as if she was a fragile doll— he wrapped her legs around his waist before he leaned down again so that he could wrap her arms securely around his neck. “Come on. I’ll take care of you.”

“But it’s your birthday, Tetsu. Just leave me be.”

“And do what? I’m happy doing anything as long as it’s with you, (Y/n),” Kuroo answered honestly, lifting his lover up and getting off the bed so he could plod off to the en-suite bathroom that they had. He readjusted his grip on her, moving his hands from her waist down to her ass— two birds, one stone.

(Y/n) didn’t say anything— couldn’t— with all the feelings coursing through her at his words, so she only burrowed her face into the crook of his neck and started nibbling at the warm skin there. He must have liked that, because he stumbled a bit, which had her heart racing in her chest at the scare.

When they were in the bathroom, Kuroo set her down on the marble counter, untangling her limbs from his body and stepping back from her warmth. She still had that adorable sleepy expression on her face, but her eyes were somehow brighter now; he wanted to think that he was the cause of that brightness— and his heart soared.

Gingerly, he started unbuttoning her shirt, letting his hands drift under the soft material so that he could slip it off her body. He looked up at her face, smiling when he saw that she had her eyes closed in a pseudo-nap; if it wasn’t obvious already, he was so in love with her.

He unhooked her bra from the front, pushing it off her shoulders and letting it fall down her arms as his eyes admired the supple flesh bared before him. He was so tempted to latch on to one of her nipples and try bringing her to orgasm with just that, but held himself back— he couldn’t resist copping a feel, though; and the action had (Y/n) jerking and rapidly blinking herself into consciousness.

 _Was she really asleep?_ He laughed at the realization, and shook his head as he trailed his hands down her sides to eventually rest on her hips— where he hooked his thumbs against the elastic of her tights before pulling them down along with her panties.

“Red lace? You’re not making this easy for me, are you?” Kuroo joked, groaning in discomfort when his newly awakened erection strained against his boxer briefs.

He only received a sleepy hum as he leaned down and pulled the clothes from her legs; eventually kneeling down to take off the cute character socks that she donned for the day. His face was only a few inches away from her pussy, and he tried to tell himself to leave her be, but the sight of the hickeys that he’d left on her inner thighs were his undoing— he placed his hands on her knees and pushed them apart so he could admire her pussy.

“ _Itadakimasu_ ,” he whispered under his breath before he gave her cunt a teasing lick.

“T-Tetsu!” (Y/n) yelped in surprise, now more awake that she was before.

She couldn’t get anything out edgewise after that, because Kuroo absolutely devoured her— making sure to pay special attention to her clit as his fingers thrusted in and out of her wet cunt.

Her hands were clutching at his head— fisting his hair so tightly that it made him impossibly harder— as she languidly rode his face to take her to the precipice of her orgasm.

“I thought you were sleepy,” Kuroo couldn’t help but tease her through languid licks; making her eyes snap down at him and narrow into a glare.

“ _Urusai_.”

The raven-haired captain could only smirk at that; loving the violent tug of lust that he felt from being talked back to like that— had it been another girl, he would have stopped immediately, but with (Y/n), it was just so hot when she was a bitch to him.

It didn’t take long after that for him to bring her to orgasm, as he worked his fingers frantically in and out of her cunt while his mouth relentlessly sucked on her swollen clit. She came with so much abandon that it surprised Kuroo when she ground her hips more frantically against his mouth and pulled his hair even tighter as a scream tore itself from her lips.

 _Death by (y/n)’s pussy_. _I don’t mind dying by that._ A cross between a chuckle and a snort escaped him at the thought, and he rose up to his full height again— ensconcing himself between her thighs as he brought her lips to his with a hand on the back of her neck 

(Y/n) loved these tender moments after her orgasm— when Kuroo would kiss her so that she could taste herself on his tongue. It was such a heady feeling that added more kindling to the fire inside her.

“Hold on tight,” the middle blocker murmured against her lips, settling his hands on her ass again before he lifted her up and carried her into the shower stall. He pressed her against the tile wall, lethargically grinding his erection against her slit to relieve some of the pressure that he felt on his cock while his lips moved in sync with hers in a heady kiss.

Still, the grinding wasn’t enough— it wasn’t enough when he knew what her tight cunt felt like around him— so he positioned the head of his dick at her entrance before thrusting inside her without any warning. (Y/n) broke away from his lips with a gasp, crying out and raking her nails across his shoulders when he started aggressively thrusting his hips to move his cock.

“I love you,” he admitted breathlessly against her shoulder, biting down hard on the skin before laving at the teeth marks with his tongue. “Fuck, I love you so much.”

The words weren’t foreign to (Y/n)’s ears; still new, but no longer foreign, and hearing him say it to her while in the throes of passion was enough to spur her into canting her hips to meet his with every thrust. She could feel that he was close, and with the tightness tugging at the bottom of her stomach, she knew that she was close to cumming as well.

It seemed unfair that she would always cum so many times when they had sex, but Kuroo insisted that he wanted to make her feel good so many times— and that was what rounds 2, 3, 4, and 5 were for; they were for him. It was just fortunate that he had so much stamina; so much so that they both wondered at one point if he was developing more stamina from the volleyball training or the sex.

“ _Ah_ , Tetsu, I love you too,” the (h/c) haired girl cried out with a throaty moan; screwing her eyes shut and biting her bottom lip as she threw her head back to rest against the cool, tiled wall.

Her words were Kuroo’s undoing; his hips faltered in their rhythm as he came inside her— thick ropes of cum coating her pulsing walls, which had her falling over the edge after him. Her nails dug into his shoulders, nearly breaking the skin and drawing blood with how hard she gripped him.

Breathless and a little worn, the tall male let his hands drift from his lover’s ass to under her thighs, where he rubbed at her skin so lovingly that it made her heart flutter in her chest.

“Let’s shower, then we can take a nap,” he whispered tenderly against the heated skin on her cheeks— pressing light kisses against the flushed arch of her left cheek. She could only nod languidly as she clung tighter to him and untangled her legs from his waist.

 

***

 

Sleep was a safe haven nowadays for (Y/n); when before, she used to dream of hateful words and cold glares— her dreams now couldn’t be more different with reverent admissions of love and bright smiles that were specifically for her. It made it difficult to choose which reality she would rather have, because both her dream world and her actual reality were in congruence, for once.

“I love you, _hime-sama_ ,” Kuroo whispered tenderly against the shell of her ear, nipping at the tip of it before readjusting his arms around her waist; they were spooning, with (Y/n) being the little spoon like always— and they were both blissfully naked. “I hope you dream of me.”

She had half a mind to ask him to just fuck her again, because she loved this position and she could feel his erection at half-mast against her ass— but her sleep was dragging her even further down now. Her eyes tried to stay open to keep relishing in the feel of his body against hers, but her need for sleep was just too much, and she slowly drifted off to dream of gold eyes and raven-colored hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... yeah. How was it? Loved it? Hated it? Tell me your thoughts, please. :D  
> Also, I'm starting to lean towards a het Suga fanfic even though I already have an unfinished DaiSuga one. I just feel so bad for making him suffer like this ya know?  
> I'm already re-reading Norwegian Wood by Murakami to get a feel of how I want things to be.  
> And I just love the book so much. UwU


	31. It's You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos and the comments!

The stares she was receiving were unnerving, to say the least; but (Y/n) pushed on with walking through the school with her head held as high as possible, without looking like a pretentious bitch. She understood their curiosity, though: having two of the school’s top students getting called to the principal’s office under such shady circumstances— she could just imagine all the gossip that was going to spread within an hour or so.

When she reached the familiar office, she knocked on the door and waited for a verbal confirmation before entering. The sight before her was enough to stop her in her tracks: not only was Kuroo there with the principal, Yuri was also there; sitting away from her fiancé— leaving one forlorn chair between them. 

Her eyes narrowed at her cousin; wondering why she was here of all places. She didn’t know why she was called here for, but she knew that it couldn’t have been good, because of the grim expression on her homeroom teacher’s face when he told her that she was being summoned to the principal’s office.

The question was burning on the tip of her tongue, but (Y/n) held herself back as she turned to the principal for an indication to sit down. When he gave his assent for her to sit between Kuroo and Yuri, she did so with a quiet sigh.

“Do you know why I called you here? Kuroo- _san_? (L/n)- _san_?" The principal began, steepling his fingers in front of him as he pinned both aforementioned people with narrowed eyes and a disappointed frown.

“I’m sorry, _Kocho-sensei_ ,” (Y/n) began softly but firmly, meeting the man’s gaze head-on to show that she really was sincere in her apology. “But we have no idea why we were called here.”

Slowly, the balding man opened the manila folder on one side of his desk— showing all three of them pictures of (Y/n) and Kuroo in the halls, either holding hands or one of them kissing the other’s cheek; a picture of that day at the gym when Kuroo had kissed (Y/n) smack dab on the lips, and a couple of pictures showing them alighting the _shinkansen_ from their mini vacation two weeks ago— all of them time stamped which further confused (Y/n).

Her heart felt like it had stopped in her chest. She knew that they had rules about public displays of affection at school, but no one ever really got in trouble for it because it was always done out of sight of the teachers— and she knew that her and Kuroo would get in trouble if they were caught outside when they were supposed to be at school, but she still pushed on with her plan; only telling Yuri where she was going because she trusted her cousin implicitly.

She couldn’t doubt the fact that Kuroo had fans, but for someone to stoop this low? It was despicable; and it made her blood boil with barely restrained rage. Still, the question of why her cousin was in the same room sent alarms ringing in her head.

The closer she looked at the pictures, the more that her hackles were raised; most of the photos looked like they were taken from what looked to be Yuri’s perspective when they were taken. She could just tell, because the scenes were playing out in her mind’s eye; she always stood a few feet away when Kuroo was near, always checking her phone— or so she said. It didn’t seem suspicious at the time, as it was Yuri just being her normal self.

As far as she knew, her cousin didn’t like Kuroo, but this evidence was irrefutable— was her hate for him just a ruse? To make her believe that she didn’t have feelings for Kuroo? Her words and actions seemed to make so much more sense now— trying to push her away from Kuroo, talking shit about him in the hopes that she would be deterred by them… her cousin had feelings for Tetsurō.

Kuroo’s gaze darted back and forth between the pictures and his fiancée. He also knew that he was breaking so many school rules, but was confident enough that no one would tattle on him and (Y/n), because no one wanted the ire of the volleyball team upon them. (Y/n) looked like she was having a horrible realization before her head snapped up to blatantly glare at her cousin.

“Why would you do this, Yuri?” (Y/n) cried indignantly, voice thick with unshed tears as she clutched the arm rests of her chair— to keep her from standing up and yanking out all of her cousin’s purple hair.

“She was merely concerned with upholding Nekoma High’s rules, (L/n)- _san_ ,” the principal cut in. “I can’t say how disappointed I am with both of you— public displays of affection in the halls, at the gym? Skipping school for no valid reason? You two are looking at four days of suspension, at most— banned from doing any club activities during that time.”

Kuroo sat up abruptly, a cry of protest about to leave his lips when (Y/n) cut him to it. “You can’t, _Kocho-sensei_! The Spring Nationals is coming up and Kuroo- _san_ needs to train with his team. You can punish me, but not him. It was my idea to skip school in the first place.”

“I can’t possibly do that, (L/n)- _san_. Both of you are involved in this; how would it look if I let one of you go scot-free? Which brings me to another point: Tachibana- _san_ , you’re also suspended from school for two days, for skipping school as well; it was for a noble cause, but you still were absent for an unacceptable reason.”

(Y/n) wanted to laugh at that— karma was a bitch, after all— but it was tamped down by the rage that was now close to spilling freely from her person.

While the principal prattled on and on about being good examples to other students, the volleyball captain turned tossed and turned the thoughts of their punishment over and over in his head. Of course, he was pissed— but he had brought this upon himself; upon (Y/n). True, it wasn’t his idea to skip class, but he had happily **agreed** to her proposition, so it was as much his fault as it was hers. He didn’t want to put the blame on his fiancée; that wasn’t him anymore— it just felt **wrong** to do that to her. Besides, no matter how much he protested— even if his voice went raw from doing so— nothing would change, so he would just have to accept the hand that was dealt to him.

Kuroo cleared his throat, garnering their attention before he spoke, channeling his responsible captain persona that was so attractive to (Y/n), even though now was not the time. “When is the suspension effective, _Kocho-sensei_? (L/n)- _san_ and I would like to apologize for our indiscretions; it’s entirely our fault and we will take your punishment accordingly.”

“It’s effective today, so you may take your things and go home after this.”

Kuroo turned to (Y/n), who was still looking at him with protest clearly written in her eyes, but he only shook his head to keep her from making things worse. It was going to suck not going to get to train with the rest of the team, but he could always just hit up the gym to compensate for the practices that he was going to miss.

“We’re truly sorry, _Kocho-sensei_. It won’t happen again,” (Y/n) spoke through her teeth, taking Kuroo’s cue to stand up and bow deeply to the old man.

“I hope it doesn’t. Dismissed. You, too, Tachibana- _san_.”

With that, Kuroo and (Y/n) plodded out of the room; sporting the same angry expressions on their faces as they looked for an empty corridor to talk. They weren’t mad at each other, but mad at Yuri for what she did— she just threw them under the bus, and they were a united front against her now. This was them dealing with the problem together and, if Kuroo were being honest, he would say that it made him feel amazing.

Maybe Yuri expected them to have a fight and break up over the problem, but what had happened couldn’t be farther from the actual results— no words were said between (Y/n) and Kuroo, just blasé understanding. It made (Y/n) feel good that she was on the same side as her fiancé now, instead of on the other side.

It wasn’t long until they heard the door to the principal’s office close with a soft thud, followed by rushed footsteps coming their way.

A flash of purple hair passed them by, when (Y/n) called out, “Yuri!”

The other girl stopped in her steps, turning around to face her cousin; her face falling when she saw that there were no tears, or other any indication of a fight happening between the couple before her; they might as well have been fucking when (Y/n) called her.

Kuroo wanted to cut in to demand answers, but felt that this was a problem between the two girls. So, he shut his mouth and waited for things to play out— ready to jump in if his fiancée needed him.

“Why did you do it?” (Y/n) asked coldly, stepping towards her cousin with her hands clenched into fists to keep herself from doing anything rash— though, she supposed that she could throw a punch in, but that would only get her in more trouble.

Yuri’s green eyes narrowed in anger, teeth gritting together as she glared at the raven-haired male that stood a few feet away. “Because I don’t want you to be with him. He’s a fucking prick. He’s hurt you so many times, and yet you still go crawling back to him.”

More anger coursed through (Y/n)’s veins, and she took a deep breath to center herself, as she went on to get more information to confirm her suspicions. “Was that why you kept trying to get me to leave Tetsurō?”

Now that she’d said the words out loud, all the times that her cousin had bad mouthed Kuroo in front of her played in her mind, and she gritted her teeth to hold back from taking a swing at Yuri’s pretty face. She had been playing the devil’s advocate all along, and it made (Y/n)’s stomach turn— but she tamped the feeling down in lieu of confronting her snake of a cousin.

Kuroo was watching the two girls, when a memory from three years ago came back to him: when he had first met (Y/n)’s extended family on her mother’s side, it was Yuri who had told him about hearing that he had to quit volleyball after highschool— implying heavily that it was (Y/n)’s idea in the first place. That had served to fuel his hatred for (Y/n) even more, and he started being even worse to her; all because of this bitch’s words. He’d been played, and played so good that it took him three years to find out.

“Do you love him that much?” (Y/n) asked vehemently; her nails now digging into her palms with how tight she was clenching her fists. The words made her want to vomit, not because another girl loved Kuroo, but because it was **Yuri—**  her closest and most trusted friend aside from Kōshi. Yuri knew just how much she loved Tetsurō, so why was she doing this? Why now? Was it because they were finally getting along and their future together was 95% guaranteed to end in marriage?

Surprisingly, Yuri’s face balked from the question. She flinched and let her lips curl down to show her displeasure at the idea of being in love with the raven-haired male. “It’s not him that I’m in love with, (Y/n)— it’s you.”

If it wasn’t his fiancée getting confessed to by her—apparently lesbian or bisexual (he didn’t know or care to know)—cousin, Kuroo would have laughed; but since it was (Y/n), he was just angry. Not only did he get played like a fool, (Y/n)’s demon spawn of a cousin was after **her** all along. He was a pretty kinky guy and had no qualms with guys doing guys and girls doing girls, and it was fairly common to marry your cousin in their country, but his mind couldn’t help but scream **incest**.

“I- I’m sorry.” It was as if all the air was taken out of (Y/n)’s sails. Her knees had gone weak at her cousin’s admission, and she could only shake her head in stunned disbelief. “I… I… Tetsurō, let’s go. 

She had thought all this time that the Akira- _san_ on her cousin’s phone was a **boy** with a girl’s name, but maybe she had been wrong all this time. Now that she thought about it, all the answers were in front of her all along; Yuri never tried to hide the fact that she liked girls— she was just too ignorant to see it; she should have seen the signs: they were subtle, but now everything made so much sense.

Kuroo immediately ran to (Y/n)’s side, wrapping his arm around her waist and helping her walk down the stairs— but not without a last glance at Yuri who had tears rolling down her cheeks at the blatant rejection. He turned his attention back to his lover, pressing a kiss to her temple to comfort her, even though his displays of affection were what had gotten them in trouble in the first place— he was already in the shits, he was just going to make the best of it.

As they made their way out of the school, Kuroo recalled what he had told Sugawara when he was in Miyagi: (Y/n) didn’t know just how much charm she had; she pulled you in without her knowing it, and she unknowingly made you love her.

Dare he say it, he actually felt **sorry** for Yuri.

“Our things…” (Y/n) whispered brokenly, making an effort to turn back to get back inside the building, but Kuroo held firm to her waist; anchoring her next to him as he led them out of the campus. 

“I’ll ask Kenma to take them to my house,” the raven-haired male answered softly. “Do you want me to take you home now or do you want to go somewhere to clear your mind?”

“I think I need an ice cream right now.”

“Okay.”

 She had to really be feeling bad if she wanted  **ice cream** of all things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With regard to my previous note, I really want to push through with that Sugawara fic. Now I'm just thinking if I should do it as a spin-off to this fic or to just start a new story entirely. But the idea of Suga having a slow-burn fic with his current predicament is really giving me a lot of plot bunnies.  
> On a completely unrelated note, I JUST FOUND OUT THAT THERE'S A SECOND PART TO PRINCE OF TENNIS?  
> I only have myself to blame because I thought I "grew out" of my anime phase at university.  
> Shūsuke Fuji is just hnng. <3


	32. Fickle Creatures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oya, oya, oya!  
> Welp, I hope you guys have been enjoying the past few chapters.  
> It's been radio silent, and I haven't received any constructive criticism yet, so I think I'm doing something right?  
> Though, I have noticed that I have made a lot of typos and mistakes in the earlier chapters! I'm trying to edit everything, but I just don't have enough time to read through and edit everything in one day.  
> Please be patient while I get my writing skills back— I stopped writing for quite some time and it feels weird to shift my thinking from the a loud kitchen to a quiet room every night.  
> Please be patient while I work on my errors.  
> Thank you!

Three weeks had passed by after Yuri’s haphazard confession and Kuroo and (Y/n)’s suspension. Their parents were disappointed that they were punished, but weren’t all that mad about them skipping school— they chalked it up to the couple still being in the honeymoon phase of their relationship— which raised a few eyebrows when Kuroo was asked about it by his teammates, but their parents had become desensitized to the topic of the engagement already, that they didn’t even bat an eyelash at the way that Kuroo was spending so many nights with (Y/n).

However, everyone at school wasn’t as lenient with (Y/n) and Kuroo— the rumors had spread like wildfire: ranging from her bring pregnant,  to getting caught doing drugs on campus. Though it pained her to admit it, she couldn’t get pregnant that easily; with her current condition, she only had a 10% chance of even getting a baby, hence the lack of condom use when she and Kuroo had sex.

They didn’t tell anyone that Yuri was at fault for reporting them to the principal, wanting to keep a harmonious relationship within their families because they were inevitably going to be spending so many gatherings together; though, (y/n) had made no effort to talk to her cousin about it, even though Kuroo had—adamantly— kept reminding her that it was bad to keep her feelings bottled up.

(Y/n) just didn’t know what to say. _Sorry, I’m not into girls? Sorry, but we’re still related and it makes me feel weird?_ Or, her personal favorite: _Sorry, but I like dicks_?

It was just too confusing to even  **think** about how to approach the subject; not to mention it would be akin to going through a mine field with Yuri— one word could set her off, and it wouldn’t be good for anyone involved. But, she knew that she would have to confront her cousin sooner rather than later because Winter break was coming up— and her mother’s side of the family always spent Christmas together.

With the imminence of the holiday coming up, (Y/n) had taken the time to drag Kuroo out on their weekend off from training so that he could help her buy presents. Thankfully, he agreed— though it was a very reluctant agreement.

“Take a picture, (Y/n), it’ll last longer,” the raven-haired male teased her as she shook her jumbled thoughts from her mind; focusing instead on the penguin mug that she had picked up earlier.

She didn’t bother to answer him, only sighing before setting the ceramic mug back on the shelf. Sensing (Y/n)’s plummeting mood, Kuroo reached out and entwined their hands, taking care not to jostle the half-filled basket that he had been lugging around the store for the good part of an hour.

“You okay?” He asked worriedly.

(Y/n) nodded, pausing for a fraction of a second before shaking her head. “I have five more days until Christmas, two of those will be spent at school where I’ll have to see Yuri and talk to her, since we have to plan out how to distribute tasks for the club members over the break. And then I have to spend Christmas with her; it’s going to be so awkward.”

So far, she had gotten around talking to her cousin— settling for avoiding her as much as she could and ignoring her during club activities. Of course, it garnered curiosity from their peers, but no one dared to ask about it— just writing it off as a family spat, which was already halfway to the truth.

“We’ll be spending Christmas with you as well, so you don’t have to worry that much,” Kuroo answered, trying to reassure her to the best of his ability.

The (h/c) haired girl managed a weak smile, sighing again as she walked through aisles in search for more presents for her family. “But what am I going to tell my aunts and uncles? My other cousins? Haru- _nii-chan_? My family is pretty observant when it comes to things like this— do you know how long they were talking when my aunt Mai and uncle Kyosuke had a fight? They talked about it for **three years** even after those two made up.”

“Three years? What did they even fight about?” 

“They fought about a cabbage patch; about who was going to get first harvest and all that. Aunt Mai insisted that she should have first dibs because she was older, and uncle Kyosuke wanted himself to have first dibs because he was the one tending to the cabbages,” (Y/n) narrated with a roll of her eyes; silently admitting to herself just how childish her mother’s siblings were.

Kuroo guffawed at the anecdote, finding it absolutely hilarious that people **actually** fought about such mundane things; (Y/n)’s family, no less. He had always seen them in such a dignified light that it was unthinkable that they would even think about such things— but now, it made him feel better to know that they were just like any regular family.

Aside from seeing them in a bright light, he had always been somewhat jealous of how big her family was— as his father and mother were only children as well; maybe it would have been better if his mother were still alive, but there wasn’t anything he could do about that. He really wasn’t sad about it, as he had never even known her, but merely curious of how it would feel like to have a mother.

_What would it be like for our kids to have (Y/n)_ _as a mom?_

The thought had him jerking violently; almost knocking over a tiny Santa statue that was behind him. He shook his head violently, as if doing so would erase it from his memory— to no avail. His heart was pounding in his chest and he frantically looked at (Y/n) who was so engrossed with a moon nightlight at the end of the aisle.

The sight of her was enough to have the thought ricocheting in his brain again— and he felt fear gnawing at his psyche; fear that he was thinking of such things. He was only 19, for god’s sake— he shouldn’t even be thinking about having children at such an age. His eyes sought out his fiancée’s familiar figure again and his breath caught in his throat when the vision of a tiny version of him clinging to her played out in front of him. Surely, (Y/n) wouldn’t mind if he was gone for five minutes— he needed a breather.

So, without any preamble, he just took off towards the next aisle, thankful that there weren’t any people lingering there— cursing aloud when he saw that he was in the aisle for baby clothes. Who was the dumbass who designed this store— putting baby clothes next to the home knickknacks section; utterly despicable.

His thoughts made no sense even to him— sinking so low as to blame someone he didn’t know for this current predicament. Still, he closed his eyes and gripped the basket in his hand even more tightly as stood in the middle of the baby clothes aisle like a dumbass. He tried to get his breathing to slow down; silently thanking his volleyball training for helping with that regard.

He stood there for a few minutes, listening to the cheery Christmas tunes playing through the speakers, as he tried to calm his racing mind.

“Tetsu- wh- _ah! Gomen nasai_! I thought you were my fiancé!” (Y/n) yelped, profusely apologizing to the man whose hand she had grabbed because she thought that he was Kuroo when, in fact, the stranger had only been looking at the other nightlights next to her.

The raven-haired male took that as his cue to go running back to (Y/n), pushing his internal dilemma to the backburner to see if she was alright. Lo and behold, she was bowing to the man who was blushing profusely while waving her apology off. It was such a comical sight that Kuroo couldn’t help but start laughing— loud.

 

***

 

The glare that (Y/n) was sending him could have made a lesser man keel over; the sheer intensity of it gave him chills as he tried to ignore it. An irate sigh escaped her lips, before she dug her nails into his hand— making him wince and pretend to be so fixated on the shops that they were passing by.

Kuroo knew that giving him the silent treatment along with the glares was a very childish attempt to get his fiancée’s ire across to him, but he could agree that it was effective as hell. Her stare was just so unnerving that it had his gaze gravitating back towards her. “Look, I’m sorry for leaving without telling you.”

“It’s not even that!” (Y/n) hissed at him, digging her nails deeper into his hand, which had him yelping and trying to pull the abused appendage away— no such luck, because her grip was like iron. “You just laughed at me when you came back.”

“What was I supposed to do?” Honestly, he really was confused; so confused that there was a remark about being on her period burning on the tip of his tongue— just waiting to be unleashed— but he held it back, because even he didn’t know where they were going to find his body when she was done with him.

(Y/n) was turning red in the face— from being flustered or being too angry, he didn’t know— and she just glared at him for a few seconds before letting go of his hand and walking off. He knew that what he did was somewhat wrong, but this was just too much.

“(Y/n)! (Y/n)!” He called out to her, earning a few curious looks from passersby as he chased after the (h/c) haired girl walking away from him. He had half a mind to just leave the heavy bag filled with presents that he had been lugging around, just to spite her, but just shook the thought away with a heavy sigh— that would only start another argument.

Finally, he had caught up to her, but she was still ignoring him; and that was how they made their way back to (Y/n)’s home: with Kuroo trying to get her attention— even going as far as to say _“Look, a spaceship!”_ when they were on the train— and (Y/n) just regarding him with a stony expression.

_So much for being more open with him. Petty much?_

In a last attempt to fix their spat, Kuroo pulled out the big guns: a sad, pleading look on his face that he knew his lover couldn’t resist. He had stood in front of her to keep her from moving any further, and spoke, “Please, (Y/n). I’m sorry. Can you tell me what made you upset?”

The petite girl sighed, and looked down at her shoes before looking back into Kuroo’s golden eyes. “I hate being the butt of the joke; I hate being laughed at.”

“Did anyone-”

She shook her head abruptly, a sardonic smile on her lips. “There’s no sad story attached to that. I just don’t like it when people laugh **at** me.”

“ _Ah_. I didn’t know; I’m sorry, (Y/n),” The raven-haired male apologized sincerely, feeling his chest stomach drop with the guilt that he felt. It was still so new for him to be in a relationship, let alone have a girl so close to him at all times, so he did slip up most of them time— not thinking that his gruff or uncouth actions were received differently by the opposite gender; he was trying, but he just couldn’t change overnight.

To his utter delight, a small smile graced his fiancée’s face, and he returned it; he knew that he was forgiven with that little action. The mood swings were something that really were going to take some time to get used to, though— _how did other guys do it?_

He was about to open his mouth to speak, when a loud squeal followed by wailing rang through the air. (Y/n)’s ears seemed to perk up at the sound, and she had this excited gleam in her eyes that Kuroo couldn’t deny was scarily beautiful— scary because she got excited over hearing a child cry. Without a word, his lover had just grabbed his free hand and dragged him the last few meters to her house.

(Y/n) opened the gate with one hand, dragging Kuroo excitedly towards the newly assembled princess teepee on the small front lawn. Toys were scattered all over the grass, making the normally-pristine house look like a tornado full of toddler toys had just attacked it.

Kuroo wanted to hightail it and go on his merry way home, but forced himself to stay rooted to the spot and look on as his fiancée crouched down into the frilly, pink tent where two kids were— a little girl around four and a boy around six. The girl had been the source of the wailing earlier, judging by the way that she was wiping her tears away.

The way she was talking to the kids should have been illegal— not because it was explicit or she was cursing at them— but because of how **gentle** her tone was. He couldn’t make out much of what she was saying because some words were hushed, but the words that he could hear harped at his feelings; further pushing his thought from earlier to the forefront of his mind.

The gods were punishing him; he was sure of it, because why else would they send more children **now** when he had been having trouble with his own thoughts not even two hours ago. He was about to curse them in his mind, but immediately reeled back in case they made it their mission to punish him— he wasn’t a religious person by any means, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Tetsurō,” (Y/n) turned back to him and waved him over.

His mind was telling him that this would only give him more fodder for his thoughts, but he pushed on until he was standing just a few paces away from his fiancé and the teepee. He crouched down beside (Y/n), peering inside the small tent and seeing the two kids.

“Touma- _kun_ tripped and fell earlier, so I’m going to take him inside to change. Can you keep Natsuki- _chan_ some company while we’re in there?” (Y/n) looked up at him with puppy-dog eyes, which had him reluctantly agreeing. She knew that him and children were like oil and water, but she couldn’t just leave her younger cousin unsupervised— which reminded her to give an earful to whomever was looking after the two kids in the first place. Taking her in the house was out of the question, because the adults would ask why she was crying, and she wouldn’t be allowed to go back outside.

With that, the (h/c) haired girl thanked him before offering her hand to Touma— who had grass stains all over his white shirt and khaki shorts. The little boy took the proffered hand, and then used that to help him get out of the cramped space that he was hiding in.

Kuroo had to shake his head because he had caught himself staring—  **hard** — at (Y/n) while she coddled the black-haired boy that had such clear blue eyes. He looked inside the teepee again, and was met by the curious, blue-eyed gaze of the little girl. She had curly, brown hair that stopped on her shoulders, but that wasn’t what caught Kuroo’s attention; it was the scar on the girl’s forehead.

It wasn’t more than two inches long —starting from the tail end of her left eyebrow and stretching diagonally towards the middle of her forehead— and it was mostly hidden by her bangs, but he couldn’t help but stare and wonder how in the world a child could get that.

“W-who are you, _oji-san_?”

The question was asked with such a tiny, sweet voice, but it made him balk— he knew that he was old, but not **that** old. It didn’t bother him when he said it about himself, but to have a kid say it to him was something else entirely. Still, he forced a smile on to his lips. “I’m your (Y/n)- _nee-chan_ ’s fiancé. My name’s Tetsurō, and I’m not **that** old, kid.”

Natsuki nodded, seeming to digest his words, before she asked, “What’s a… f- f- fia… you know? What you said, _Tetsurō-nii-chan_.”

_What’s happening with me? I shouldn’t find this little snot-nosed girl adorable. I don’t even want kids yet— I’m too young to be a dad— oh gods, what is (y/n) doing to me?_ His panicked thoughts rang through his mind, and he was only snapped out of his reverie when Natsuki reached a little pudgy hand out and tapped his left cheek lightly.

“ _Nii-chan_.”

“W-what?”

“You looked like you ate something bad.”

“I just remembered something.”

“What was it?”

He wasn’t going to go around asking a little girl for life advice, so he diverted the topic back to her earlier question. “You were asking what a fiancé was, right? It means that I’m going to marry (Y/n) someday.”

“And have babies with her?”

Surely, he must have done something so bad in his past life that he had earned the gods’ ire like this. “That’s… well… yes.”

“How many?”

If this were any other kid—like Emi— he would have already been answering her with smartass remarks, but he just couldn’t do it to this cherubic little girl. He didn’t know what it was— maybe it was his sudden musings about having kids with (Y/n), or maybe it was just because of how this girl exuded the aura of a delicate creature that should be protected— but he just couldn’t bear to be mean to her. “Many kids. Like, ten.”

He also knew that having so many children with his fiancée was a long shot with her condition, but he was only talking out of his ass to humor Natsuki— he still had so much more important things to think about than kids right now; he still had so much time in the future.

“ _Wah_!? Ten!? Can I take one home with me?” Natsuki asked happily, clapping her hands with so much glee that it made Kuroo crack a smile.

“Hey,” he admonished playfully. “My future babies aren’t puppies to be given out.”

The blue-eyed girl pouted, puffing her cheeks up before blowing the accumulated air out in a huff. “But I would take care of them. I want a baby sister, but mama and papa said that the storks only come when there’s _sakura_.”

_Storks? Sakura? What were this child’s parents smoking?_ He had to suppress a laugh at the thought.

“If you’re good, then I **might** ask (Y/n) if you can have one. **Might**. I’m not promising anything,” Kuroo relented, if only to go along with Natsuki’s wishes. If he were being honest, he was having fun spending time with the girl— maybe (Y/n)’s cousins weren’t all demon spawns.

“Okay, then, _nii-chan_ ,” Natsuki grinned, showing a complete set of tiny baby teeth that had Kuroo transfixed. They were just so **tiny**. “Can you help me build a castle for my dolls?”

_Kids are such fickle creatures_ , he decided as the brunette leaned out of her teepee to grab on to his hand and attempt to pull him into the elf-sized tent. Half of his mind was telling him to stop— that this wasn’t him— but he ignored it and practically squeezed himself in the tiny enclosure, trying to give Natsuki some space to set up the base of her castle.

That was how (Y/n) found them fifteen minutes later—without Touma, as he was scolded for staining his nice clothes and made to stay inside the house— with Kuroo straining to fit inside the teepee as Natsuki continued coloring the backs of his hands with her set of ink stamps.

A small, fond smile made its way to her lips, and she quietly snuck a picture of the duo having so much fun with those silly stamps. From what she could see, there was also a star sticker on Kuroo’s cheek. She never thought she’d see the day when Kuroo Tetsurō would have fun while hanging out with a child.

The thought morphed the fond smile into a sad one, because she didn’t think that she could give him the children that he wanted— if he even wanted them; not without trying really hard and waiting for years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, for those interested in the Suga fic (if there are any), I'll start posting it up after I'm done with this story. Just a few more chapters to go.  
> It's going to be about Daichi's half-sister who comes back into the picture, and things will go from there. It's going to be fun because she's going to be badass— and it's going to be a slow burn, fluffy story— with smut, ofc.  
> I'm thinking of what title to give it though. I'm choosing between "Schadenfraude", and "Yours to Keep", as well as "Lie to Me".  
> Which is where the tricky part comes in. I love all of them— and each one has a specific story line that corresponds to the title, but I can't just combine everything together because that would just be too much of everything.  
> What's you guys' thoughts on this? Yay or nay??? xx


	33. Impasse

(Y/n)’s house had turned into pandemonium over the course of two days. With most of her relatives coming to town to spend Christmas with them, their house was hosting more people than ever. All of her aunts and uncles on her mom’s side had taken to staying at nearby hotels, coming to her parents’ house to spend time with everyone else and get ready for Christmas.

On her mother’s side of the family, she had two aunts and one uncle— all of whom are married to their respective spouses and have three children each; while on her dad’s side of the family, she had her grandparents, and three aunts and two uncles— all of whom were married and had their own families as well. With a family that big, her parents had reached an agreement that summers were for her dad’s side of the family up in Miyagi while winters were for her mom’s side of the family to come and visit them for the holidays.

Of course, that meant that Yuri’s parents and younger siblings were always at the house when she woke up, it was like they lived there already even when their house was only fifteen minutes away— the same couldn’t be said for Yuri, though; the last time that (Y/n) had seen her was yesterday when they had the final club meeting before the start of winter break.

She didn’t even want to face the surely massive crowd downstairs in the kitchen— because the mornings of Christmas Eve were always the busiest for her family; what with all of the things that had to be cooked, and all the games that had to be set up for their mini Christmas party… it was safe to say that her mother’s side of the family really liked their Christmas. And so, she stayed locked up in her room and had gotten ready for the day in case anyone needed her to babysit Natsuki and the other kids.

The thought of Natsuki dampened her mood— not because of the little girl per se, but what she entailed: children. She had seen how her and Kuroo had gotten so close over the last few days, and even though at first she could deny the curiosity in her lover’s eyes, now she just couldn’t shake it off. Maybe he was just curious about what it would be like to have children— he never really was one to willingly spend time with them; but when she noticed that he had often gone out of his way to bring the little girl some treats and demanding that she spend time with them, it only confirmed her suspicions.

He wasn’t delirious— far from it— but merely… curious and fascinated at the same time at the idea of having a child.

Her phone buzzed from underneath her pillow, and she fished for it with ease; smiling when she saw Kuroo’s text.

_You’re probably awake now. Good morning, hime-sama. I’ll see you in five._

It was like she and Nekoma’s captain were attached at the hip ever since they had become an official couple; she wasn’t complaining, though. Who could even think to complain when someone that hot and amazing kept them company every day? Though, he was getting annoying with pestering her to talk to Yuri and just say what needed to be said.

Easier said than done.

She closed her eyes, allowing her mind to bask in the nothingness that she forced upon it— until she felt cold lips against her cheek. She opened her eyes and looked up at her assailant, narrowing her eyes when it was only Kuroo who was currently taking off his red scarf before tossing it over his shoulder.

Kuroo grinned before he lifted one side of (Y/n)’s duvet and crawled in beside her so they could cuddle. “You’re being awfully lazy.”

The (h/c) haired girl draped her left arm across his chest, laying her head on said chest, while tucking her right arm snugly between their bodies. Kuroo, in turn, anchored his right hand to her waist while his left arm wrapped itself around her shoulders.

“There’s three women in that kitchen and they won’t hesitate to send me to the ninth circle of hell if they needed, say… parsley,” (Y/n) answered, half-joking as she slung one leg over Kuroo’s thighs, in an effort to get more comfortable. “Is it snowing outside?”

“Yeah. Very light, though.”

“Well, it’s still cold enough for hot chocolate.”

“Won’t that make you sick, though?”

“I’ll take my pills. Duh.” (Y/n) chuckled, burrowing further into Kuroo’s soft sweater.

“Then let’s go out later for hot chocolate.”

“They’re making some downstairs. Honestly, Tetsu, did you just come running up here?”

The raven-haired male tugged lightly at the ends of his fiancée’s hair to show her that he didn’t appreciate her teasing remark— only because it was somewhat true. He would have come running straight to her room if her mom hadn’t opened the door for him and sicced Natsuki upon him— not that he minded all that much. “Something like that. Your mom cornered me and told me to remind my dad and grandparents to come over for dinner; then she unleashed Natsuki on me.”

“Hm. She gets so pushy about Christmas,” (Y/n) agreed. “And Natsuki just gets so clingy at times. It’s obvious that she’s become very fond of you.”

“Are you and your mom on better terms now? No more awkwardness with her and your dad?” The raven-haired male asked softly, genuinely curious about how his lover was handling her situation with her parents. He purposely skipped the topic of Natsuki— because Natsuki just reminded him of his secret wish to have a lot of kids with (Y/n).

The (h/c) haired girl nodded against his chest, sending his heart fluttering at just how beautiful she looked in his arms. “It does get awkward at times, especially when they ask about how my day went during dinner. It just feels weird that they’re putting in so much effort to spend time with me now— a good kind of weird.”

“Well, baby steps, right?”

(Y/n) only nodded again in response; and a comfortable silence engulfed the two of them— until she broke it. “Speaking of babies…”

Kuroo felt like his heart had jumped into his throat and his brain was slowly starting to implode at her words. _Did she know? Was it that obvious? Will she laugh at him? Will she hate it if he told her?_ These thoughts and more similar ones kept running through his frenzied mind, as he waited for her to continue.

“We never did talk about the possibility of having kids,” (Y/n) continued. “I know it’s too early, but I thought that we should still talk about it, you know? I’m not even sure if you want th-”

(Y/n) was cut off by Kuroo’s rushed response; it was so quick that it was as if he just said one word and not one whole sentence. “No, I want kids with you someday.”

Now, (Y/n) was dumbstruck. Her fiancé’s honesty threw her for a loop, as she’d expected him to deny it until she wore him down and eventually admitted the truth. It took her a while to bounce back from that one, but when she did, she took a steadying breath before answering, “Well… that’s… that’s amazing, really. But you know that I only have a very small chance of having babies, right? I’m not saying that we’ll never have them… I’m just saying that’s it’s going to be hard for us.”

The truth weighed heavily on his heart, almost making him want to rip it out in an effort to stop the pain and disappointment, but he pushed it back— because if it was painful for him, the pain was ten-fold for (Y/n).

“At least we still have a chance,” Kuroo whispered gently, moving his hand from her shoulder to run his fingers through her silken hair. “We’re going to be alright, okay?" 

People would say that they were too young and immature to even be talking about this sort of thing, with Kuroo being only 19 while (Y/n) was a few weeks away from being 18, but here they were— talking about it with a wisdom that was way beyond their years; wisdom that they saved for the select few who could truly understand them and not judge them by their youth.

It was moments like this that reminded Kuroo that even though (Y/n) had the tendency to act so immature and unreasonable at times, this was the realest and most genuine part of her— she was someone who cared too much for others, loved too much, and was truly vulnerable because of those things. He liked to think that that was why she was chosen for him, so that he could protect her and serve as the only constant in her life— it took him some time, but he still ended up where he was supposed to be.

And he quite liked where he was right now.

 

***

 

The couple didn’t even know that they fell asleep until the telltale sound of something clattering to the floor made their eyes snap open in alarm. 

Kuroo immediately tucked (Y/n) closer to him before sitting up so he could see what had caused the noise; he didn’t have to go far, though, because standing by the door was a flustered Yuri. She had dropped the tablet that she had been holding, and immediately scrambled to pick it up.

“ _Sumimasen_ ,” Yuri apologized quietly, moving to exit the room when Kuroo stopped her.

“ _Matte_ , Tachibana.”

(Y/n) looked up at her fiancé like he had suddenly sprouted another head, and grabbed on to the hem of his sweater when he untangled himself from her. She knew what he was up to— it was the same thing that he had been up to since the day they got suspended. She sent him a pleading look, one that said, _please don’t do this now_.

But Kuroo only smiled at her and placed his hands on top of hers so he could keep her from stretching his sweater out with her tugging. His eyes told her that she could and **would** do this whether she wanted to or not, and she only frowned while shaking her head.

They must have looked like a pair of mimes with their non-verbal communication, but they couldn’t care less.

The raven-haired male tilted his head to the side with an admonishing expression on his face, and (Y/n) sighed in resignation; letting go of her fiancé’s sweater as she turned away from him to show how much she was irked at him. He responded by cupping his hands around her head and pulling her closer as he leaned down to press a tender kiss to the crown of her head.

“I’ll be outside with Natsu- _chan_ ,” Kuroo whispered before sauntering out of the room and waving his hand at the bewildered Yuri— who still stood dumbly by the door— before he closed the door with a quiet click.

As much as he didn’t want to leave (Y/n) alone with someone who had feelings for her, Yuri was still her family and they needed to fix whatever was going on between them. If it were Sugawara, there was no way in hell that he would leave them alone— firstly, because Sugawara may look innocent, but he knew that the setter was still a man with rampant hormones, and secondly, because the grey-haired male was a big threat to him no matter what (Y/n) said to him; not that Yuri wasn’t a threat— she was, but on a lesser degree because he knew that (Y/n) wasn’t into girls nor was ever curious about being with one. She loved his dick too much to trade it for something that she already had.

He suppressed a chuckle at the thought, lazily traipsing down the stairs as if he owned the place; with the amount of time that he’d been spending at (Y/n)’s house, he knew it like the back of his hand.  
  
“ _Nii_ - _chan_!” Natsuki’s familiar, high-pitched voice called out excitedly to him, before the girl herself came running towards him and wrapped her arms around his right leg. “Let’s go out in the snow. 

Kuroo was about to say yes, when he remembered that he had left his scarf up in (Y/n)’s room. Sure, his sweater was thick enough to ward off the cold, but he didn’t want touching his exposed neck. “How about we play in the living room, Natsu- _chan_?”

“I guess. Okay. Come on, _nii-chan_.”

 

***

 

An awkward silence engulfed the room as both (Y/n) and Yuri stared at each other. No one made a move to be closer to the other— to even talk about what had incited this awkwardness in the first place. The purple-haired girl still stood idly by the closed door, unsure of what to do as her eyes looked at everything except her cousin who was still on the rumpled bed.

(Y/n)’s heart was racing in her chest, and she felt like she was going to throw up with how nervous she was. She kept telling her legs to move— to do **anything** — but no such luck. Her eyes looked down at Kuroo’s blood red sweater that he’d carelessly thrown on the floor, sighing in an effort to calm her frazzled nerves.

“Look, I’m sorry for walking in on you two,” Yuri apologized quietly, no real sense of remorse in her voice— only ill-concealed anger; anger at herself or anger towards (Y/n) and Kuroo, (Y/n) didn’t know.

The (h/c) girl could only nod; not knowing what to say. She couldn’t very well say _‘Yeah, it’s okay. Just don’t do it again. Oh, by the way, I’m sorry for your unrequited feelings, but I really don’t like girls.’_

That would just be stupid and careless.

Thankfully, for (Y/n), her cousin continued— which effectively saved both of them from suffering another bout of awkward silence. “If I had known that you would never talk to me again, I never would have said anything. I thought you were more mature than this, (Y/n).”

She really wasn’t planning on saying anything back, but that lit a fire under her— and she found herself scowling at the purple-haired girl. “What do you want me to say? **I’m sorry I’m straight**? That I don’t like girls— that we could never happen—that we’re damn **cousins** — I know that, and I know that **you** know that. I’m sorry if I can’t return your feelings, but please don’t make me guilty about my own sexuality.”

“I’m not trying to make you feel anything. I’m just saying that for someone who doesn’t like being left behind, you sure dropped me awfully quickly. For what? For Kuroo?”

That was a low blow, and both of them knew it.

“You know what? Fuck you.” The curse that fell from (Y/n)’s tongue made her lips tingle with how vehemently it was delivered. She could feel her anger bubbling and spilling out of her in tiny increments; though she tried to keep it in check, she couldn’t reign it in. “I never asked for this.”

“You think I asked for this as well? It’s not something I can just turn on and off— I was born like this!” Yuri all-but screamed; her tone so tense that it sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

“Don’t talk about it like it’s a disease, for god’s sake,” the (h/c) haired girl snapped; scrambling to get out of the bed so she could stand to meet her cousin’s glare. “Look, I just want things to be like it was before— that’s why Tetsurō’s been pushing me to make up with you since that day. You’re my best friend, and I need you in my life.”

 _Dear kami-sama, it’s like Kōshi all over again_.

(Y/n) shook the pressing sense of déjà vu, and focused on her current situation.

“Well, it can’t be the same anymore. Maybe in time we can be friends again, but not now,” Yuri stated coldly. “I can’t just go back to pretending like nothing happened. We’re still going to see each other every day and at every damn family gathering, and I…”

(Y/n) wanted to protest, but she understood her cousin’s feelings completely; it wasn’t that easy to bounce back from being rejected by the person you liked—she was only recently starting to pick up the pieces that Kuroo had broken all those years ago. All she could do was stay optimistic about it. “I understand.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll try to stay away— for both our sakes.”

“I didn’t ask for that.”

“Mostly for my sake.” The answer was accompanied by a small, sad smile that made (y/n)’s chest tighten with sadness and a fleeting sense of loss.

With that, Yuri exited the room and closed the door behind her; leaving (Y/n) standing by the foot of her bed with unshed tears glistening in her eyes.

That was how Kuroo had found her ten minutes later, still standing in that same spot and staring into oblivion. He immediately wrapped his arms around her, whispering quietly apologies against her damp cheek, as he guided her to sit down on his lap while he sat on the bed.

Had he known that this was how things were going to end, he never would have meddled in the first place. He was only hoping to patch things up between his fiancée and her cousin, but he’d just made things worse. An apology was burning on the tip of his tongue, but he kept his mouth shut to let her cry it out first.

When her eyes were all devoid of tears, (Y/n) clung on tighter to Kuroo— basking in his comforting warmth that almost completely eased the cold, empty feeling that Yuri had left in her heart. Almost.

It was the saddest Christmas of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Thank you for all the comments and the kudos!  
> I just love waking up in the morning and seeing them, ya know?  
> Also, I made an Oikawa one-shot earlier, if anyone wants to check that out.  
> I'm not really fond of making one-shots (and was tempted to make it a full-on story) but I figured that I already have enough on my plate with this story and the next one.  
> So.... yeah! Thank you! xx


	34. New Year

Kuroo knew that he was running late, and that he was probably going to get killed on the first day of the new year. It wasn’t his fault, though; it was because of Bokuto and his last-minute decision to change the plan that he had set up two days before their trip. He would have been on time, had it not been for Bokuto annoying him into waiting for him and Akaashi at the station so that he could ‘ _see where (Y/n)-chan lived_ ’. He had asked Kenma if he wanted to go but, of course, the pudding head declined in lieu of playing a video game that he had gotten on Christmas.

He sighed in annoyance and opened the front gate to the house, walking inside the property and beckoning Bokuto and Akaashi to follow him. The pair shot him curious looks that he ignored, closing the gate and sauntering towards the front door so he could ring the doorbell.

Not even a minute later, the door was thrown open and Kaori (L/n) beamed up at him as well as at his friends. He returned her smile with a small one, and raised a hand in a pseudo-wave. “ _Ohayō_ , _okaa-san_. Happy new year. I brought some friends–Akaashi Keiji and Bokuto Kōtarō from Fukurōdani, I hope you don’t mind. We’re just here to pick up (Y/n).”

“Good morning, (L/n)- _san_ ,” Akaashi greeted politely.

Bokuto grinned. “Good morning, (L/n)- _san_.”

“Hello, Bokuto- _kun_ , Akaashi- _kun_. Come in, come in. I’ll prepare some _ozōni_ for you three while you wait for (Y/n),” Kaori answered warmly, stepping aside and beckoning the boys in the house.

“ _Okaa-san,_ that’s not necessary. We can just get something to eat at the station,” Kuroo reasoned gently; though he was still following his fiancée’s mother into the dining room with Bokuto and Akaashi at his heels.

“Nonesense, Tetsurō- _kun_. What kind of mother would I be if I sent my son-in-law and his friends out without having breakfast?” The purple-haired woman answered airily, waving Kuroo’s protest off with a gentle wave of her right hand. “Besides, I made too much again. I’d hate to waste food.”

The statement earned Kuroo a slap on the arm from Bokuto, and he turned back to glare at his owl-like friend in a silent warning. Akaashi, on the other hand, only quirked an eyebrow at Kuroo— but remained quiet, nonetheless.

“Sit down, you three, I’ll get the soup ready in a minute,” the older woman bid, about to exit the dining room when Kuroo spoke up.

“I can help you, _okaa-san_.”

“Sit down and relax, Tetsurō- _kun_. I’ve got this. I’ll ask Taka- _kun_ to call (Y/n) down.” With that, Kaori walked off to the kitchen to get the meal set up.

Once she was out of earshot, Bokuto slapped Kuroo’s arm again. “ **Son-in-law**!? ** _Okaa-san_**!? You’re that close to her mom?”

Kuroo looked over to Akaashi in a wordless cry for help, but the setter only shrugged— also very eager to know the answers to Bokuto’s question. He clicked his tongue and answered, “Don’t go crazy, but-”

“ _Ah_ , Tetsurō- _kun_. _Ohayō_ ,” Hirotaka (L/n) greeted casually from the doorway leading to the living room. “Hello, Testurō- _kun_ ’s friends.”

“Ohayō, _otō-san_. These are Bokuto Kōtarō and Akaashi Keiji from Fukurodani; they’re going with me and (Y/n) to Meiji Shrine,” Kuroo answered good-naturedly, moving to stand up and walk towards the older man, but being signaled to stay seated.

“I think I’ve seen you on TV before- oh, right, you two are on the volleyball team. I heard that both your teams are going to the Spring Nationals. Good luck,” Hirotaka commended with a subdued fist pump that just looked awkward on him. “Well, I’m gonna go get (Y/n). It was nice meeting you two, and it was nice seeing you Tetsurō- _kun_.”

With that, (Y/n)’s father walked off, whistling an upbeat tune as he disappeared behind the wall. Both boys turned back to Kuroo, now even more curious than before, because they expected him to have a hostile relationship with (Y/n)’s father— as was common when the youngest daughter started dating.

“This doesn’t leave the room— the only people who know are my teammates, Karasuno’s volleyball team, Daishō…” He grimaced at his rival’s name. “And our families; and now you two as well. We agreed to keep it a se-”

“We get it, it’s a secret. We promise not to tell anyone. Now, **tell us**.” Bokuto slammed his hand down on the table, which had Kuroo’s eyes widening in shock before he turned towards the exit to the kitchen to check if (Y/n)’s mother had heard the loud noise.

There was no sign indicating that the older woman was coming back to check on them, so he turned back to the pair before him and cleared his throat before speaking. “(Y/n) and I are engaged; have been for three years now, officially. But we’ve technically been engaged since we were kids.”

“ ** _HA_**!!!? **YOU**!?  **ARE ENGAGED**!? **NEXT, MY DISCIPLE’S GOING TO BE AT LEAST 6 FEET TALL WHEN NATIONALS STARTS**!” Bokuto yelled in disbelief, getting out of his chair and placing his hands on Kuroo’s shoulders before shaking the raven-haired captain violently.

Kuroo slapped his hands away, and Akaashi put a hand on Bokuto’s shoulder to get him to sit back down in his seat. “It is very plausible, Bokuto- _san_ ,” Akaashi commented flatly, looking at Kuroo and nodding once. “Congratulations, Kuroo- _san_.”

“Why did you keep it for so long, though? How come you never told me!?” Bokuto whined, crossing his arms over his chest like a petulant child as he pouted at Kuroo.

 _He’s worse than Natsuki when she’s upset. Damn._ Kuroo thought idly, then shrugged before he answered. “Because you’re a loud-mouth, Bokuto. You can’t keep a secret to save your life.”

“I **so** can! Like that time when Konoha ripped his pants and I saw that he was wearing pink boxers with strawberries on them!” The ace proclaimed loudly, then grabbed at his head in frustration when he realized what he had just done. The other two just shared a knowing look as if to say, ‘ _yep, there he goes’._

“Are you already torturing Bokuto- _kun_ this early on in the year?” (Y/n) chimed, slowly walking into the room and effectively garnering all the three boys’ attention.

Kuroo couldn’t speak— his mouth had gone dry and he had to subtly pinch his thigh to check if this wasn’t a dream. The _kimono_ that his fiancée was wearing was a deep red that brought out her eyes; it was tastefully patterned with different flowers and looked more like a _furisode_ than a regular _kimono_ , but he couldn’t care less about semantics— all he knew was that she looked so beautiful; more beautiful than when she had worn that pink _kimono_ back in Miyagi. Back then, she’d looked like a princess, but now she looked like an empress.

“Is it too much?” (Y/n) asked, unsurely running her right hand through her hair that she’d opted to let down for a more casual look. “ _Baa-chan_ sent this to me and told me I had to wear it on New Year’s to attract good luck.”

“Good luck? The only thing you’ll be attracting are more admirers; consider me one of them,” Bokuto commented shamelessly, wiggling his eyebrows at (Y/n) as a grin stretched over his teeth. 

Kuroo narrowed his eyes at his friend before hitting him upside the head. “ _Oi, temae_! She’s mine!”

Instantly, the saucy look on Bokuto’s face was wiped away, and he turned to Akaashi with a pout on his face. “Akaashi, help me!”

The setter just shook his head with a blank expression. “You had that coming, Bokuto- _san_.”

(Y/n) could only laugh at the exchange, not knowing how close these three really were because she had always been busy helping the others train during the camp at Shinzen. She walked further into the dining room and sat down on the empty chair beside Kuroo, then leaned towards him to press her lips to his cheek.

Kuroo was disappointed at her greeting, turning towards her and cupping her cheek with one hand to boldly lean in and capture her lips with his in a deep kiss.

Just as he expected, her cheeks warmed up with a blush that was almost as red as her _kimono_ , and he chuckled. “Happy new year, _hime-sama_.”

“You two are gross, Kuroo!” Bokuto protested from across them; pretending to gag after his comment.

“You’re just jealous, Bokuto.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am not.”

“Yeah, you are.”

“No. I’m not. Akaashi! Tell him I’m not.”

Silence met the ace’s words, and everyone looked over to see Akaashi with the same deadpan expression on his face as usual. He just shook his head.

“Akaashi!”

The conversation had been cut there, as (Y/n)’s mother entered the dining room holding a tray with four bowls of _ozōni_. (Y/n) got up and helped her mother set up the table, giving the boys a bowl of the soup as well as a pair of chopsticks and a congee spoon.

After the food was distributed, Kaori reached into her apron’s pocket and fished out four red envelopes that she handed to the teenagers sitting at the table.

(Y/n) could clearly tell that Bokuto wanted to yell out his thanks, but settled for a quieter but still enthusiastic approach; Akaashi muttered a grateful ‘ _thank you, (L/n)-san_ ’; and Kuroo grinned at her mother before saying, “Thank you, _okaa-san_.”

“Thanks, mama. Is _nii-chan_ getting one? I can give it to him later when he wakes up,” the (h/c) haired girl answered with a devious grin— aiming to one-up her brother like he had done to her when they were younger. Haruichi had offered to keep his sister’s _otoshidama_ and had kept it for himself, immediately spending it on a _fukubukuro_ after they visited a temple.

Kaori only rolled her eyes at her daughter’s antics, telling her and her friends to enjoy the food before she left.

 

***

 

“I feel like I’m walking with a princess,” Bokuto commented aloud as he and Akaashi brought up the rear of their small group— with Kuroo and (Y/n) holding hands in front of them. 

“She **is** a princess. My _hime-sama_ ,” Kuroo answered adamantly, turning his head to look over his shoulder. “Mine, **_temae_**.”

“Tetsu, language,” (Y/n) chided softly, tugging on her fiancé’s hand to stop him from further taunting Fukurōdani’s ace. “We’re almost there.”

“Are you sure that Bokuto can go through the _torii_?” The raven-haired captain teased, purposely sending a salacious grin over his shoulder to Bokuto who had his eyes narrowed into angry slits. “It’s a sacred place, after all.”

“You’re the unholy one here, Kuroo!” Bokuto yelled, pulling the skin below his right eye down and sticking his tongue out at Nekoma’s captain. “I hope you don’t melt when you wash your hands at the _chozuya_.”

“How did you ever survive this, Akaashi- _kun_?” (Y/n) called over her shoulder, casting a deadpan expression over to Akaashi whose face was impassive as always.

Akaashi cracked a small smile, a bit happy that he wasn’t the only one who had to go through this again. “They usually just stop on their own.”

 

***

 

The clang of their offerings hitting the other coins inside the offertory box rang in (Y/n)’s ears, and she stepped back to gingerly grip the bell rope with both hands; she looked over at Kuroo who stood beside her, before simultaneously ringing the bell above them. Once that was done, she bowed twice, clapped her hands twice, and bowed once more before citing her prayer in her head, closing her eyes and trying to tune out the other worshippers as she talked to her god.

_Thank you, Kami-sama, for making this my most memorable year. Thank you for giving Tetsurō to me; thank you for listening to my prayers and giving me the strength to endure everything. Please give me more strength to deal with everything that will happen this year and the next coming years. If it is your will, please help Tetsurō and his team mates win Nationals, if not, then please guide them to achieve their heart’s desires._

_Please continue to look after Kōshi as well, as he is a very special person to me; the same goes for Yuri, my parents, and my grandparents. Please help Yuri in this time as I know that she needs you the most right now. And, lastly, I pray that you will always look after and guide Tetsurō because he is my heart. Thank you, Kami-sama._

She didn’t even realize that tears were falling from her eyes until she opened them to the bright morning light. She hurriedly swiped them away and turned to her fiancé— who was still deeply bowed in prayer. Her heart swelled at the sight, as she knew that he really wasn’t a religious person and was only doing this for her— it made her happy that he was trying for her.

When Kuroo was done praying— for his team, himself, his family, his friends, and especially for (Y/n), he rose up to his full height and smiled at the most special girl in his life. He took her hand gently in his, lacing their fingers together, before guiding her towards the little box with all the fortunes— where Bokuto and Akaashi were waiting for them.

They paid for the _omikuji_ , then each drew a stick, trading excited glances before getting their _omikuji_ from their respective slots. (Y/n) nervously unfolded her fortune, sighing in relief when it said Good luck.

Kuroo, however, frowned before folding the paper back up. “It said future bad luck, and that I should get a _kitsune_ _omamori_ for my wallet. Highly unlikely.”

“Well, still tie it to that branch over there just to be safe,” (Y/n) answered with a knowing smile, then turned to Bokuto and Akaashi when her lover reluctantly trudged over to the tree, and tied his bad luck fortune to one of the high branches. “What did you guys get? Bokuto- _kun_? Akaashi- _kun_?”

“Small luck,” Bokuto stated with a small frown. It wasn’t the greatest fortune to receive, but it was better than what Kuroo had gotten.

Akaashi read his slip of paper again before tucking it into his wallet. “I got future fortune.”

“ _Uwah_. That’s amazing. I’m happy for you, Akaashi- _kun_ ,” the (h/c) haired girl gushed as she clapped her hands once in excitement for the setter.

“Are you guys ready to go?” Kuroo asked to no one in particular when he was back from tying his _omikuji_. “Or do you want to do something else here? Like get a _Daruma doll_ for more luck?” The last question was aimed towards (Y/n), because he knew just how superstitious his lover was.

“ _Daruma_ dolls aren’t my thing, but I do have to burn my old _omamori_ and get new ones.”

With that, their small group made their way towards the small fire where people were burning their old good luck charms from the year before, and (Y/n) joined in; fishing out _omamori_ after _omamori_ from her bag and gently setting it in the fire. By the time that she was done, all three boys were looking at her as if she had grown another head.  
  
“Just how many did you burn, (Y/n)- _chan_?” Bokuto asked shamelessly. 

A red tinge colored the girl’s cheeks, and she bit her bottom lip before she answered, “Eight.”

“Why?” The question came from Akaashi.

“I was raised by my traditional grandparents, okay? And my parents are just **as** traditional,” she defended herself, before grabbing Kuroo’s hand and dragging him over towards the stalls selling the new charms for the year.

By the third stall, Kuroo was getting a headache because everything just looked the same to him; still, he stayed just a few feet away from his fiancée to keep the incident from their Christmas shopping trip from happening again. Bokuto and Akaashi had gone ahead to another stall to escape from (Y/n)’s crazed search for the perfect talisman.

From the corner of his eyes, the stack of _Ema_ plaques caught his attention; and he drifted closer to it before picking up one with a woman painted on the front. He didn’t really believe in these things, but something was pulling him here— and it was the thing in his hand. He brought the plaque closer to his face to examine the painting— cracking a smile when he saw that it looked like (Y/n) in her red _kimono_.

Hurriedly, he dropped ¥500 into the donation box before turning towards (Y/n). She was still so enamored with looking for the perfect talisman— so he backtracked towards the allotted space to hang the _Ema_ , only to curse when he realized that he didn’t have a marker with him. He looked around, scanning the crowd in search for someone that he knew— or just someone who was almost done writing on their _Ema_.

“Hi, I saw that you had a marker and was wondering if I could borrow it since I forgot to bring mine,” he said as pleasantly as he could, with the brightest smile he could muster in the hopes of charming the lady who had recently capped the marker in her hand. 

“A- o- okay.” He almost wanted to cheer when he saw that the girl had a blush on her cheeks, as she offered the pen out to him. He immediately grabbed the marker and bowed.

“Thank you.”

At that, he inched back closer to where (Y/n) was, making sure that she would be able to see him if she turned around— which he guessed wasn’t happening anytime soon. She was still looking thoroughly through all those trinkets that he actually felt sorry for the guy assisting her.

He uncapped the marker, pressing the tip to the blank space on the back of the wooden plaque— only to be stumped. What did he want to wish for? He’d already prayed to the gods for everything that he was thankful for… so… what?

His eyes drifted up from the _Ema_ and locked on to (Y/n). His heart fluttered in his chest at the mere sight of her— and he took a deep breath in an attempt to calm it down. She meant the world to him, and he was more than happy that he was fortunate enough to be loved by her; **him** , out of all the people in the world, she chose him.

(Y/n) looked up from her hunt, and frantically looked around before she spotted Kuroo standing a few feet behind her— smiling a sappy-looking smile at her while he held a pen to a wooden plaque. She found herself grinning at him, then winking.

And suddenly, Kuroo knew what he wanted.

_Please let me and (L/n) (Y/n) grow old together. I want to grow old and have a family with the love of my life._

He put the lid back on the marker again, and inspected his handiwork before jumping in fright when (Y/n) called his name from beside him— trying to get a look over his shoulder to read what he had written down.

Kuroo held the plaque above his head— a blush warming up his cheeks as he kept (Y/n) from reading something so embarrassing, even if it was about her. He backtracked towards the wall of _Ema_ s, and chose the highest point where (Y/n) couldn’t reach it before hanging it up with the painting facing the front.

“You’re just mean, Tetsurō.”

He grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’ll tell you when it comes true.”

“Not ‘ **if** ’?”

“No. **When** it comes true…” He trailed off, and then looked around for the girl that he’d flustered into giving him her marker. There was no sign of her, so he tucked the pen in his back pocket to give to her in case he ever saw her on the way out. “Where’s Bokuto and Akaashi?”

As soon as he asked that, Akaashi appeared down the path right next to a… walking _Daruma_ doll— no, it was only Bokuto carrying a doll that was almost bigger than his torso, which was saying a lot about its size since the ace was **built**.

“Look at the size of this _Daruma_!” Bokuto exclaimed excitedly as he offered out the doll to (Y/n) and Kuroo, who both flinched away from the bright red ball.

“Why did you get such a big one, Bokuto- _kun_?” (Y/n) asked hesitantly, though really curious as to why he would buy something so… flamboyant; then again, this was Bokuto that she was talking to— he commanded attention even without the doll in his arms.

“For more luck, of course.” The ace grinned triumphantly.

Akaashi only shook his head like a disappointed mother.

(Y/n) offered him a weak smile and resisted the urge to tell him that it didn’t work that way; she wouldn’t rain on someone else’s parade just because they believed a little differently.

Kuroo, however, had no qualms with hurting Bokuto’s feelings. He let out a laugh, suppressing it to chuckles when he received a few stares. “ _Ah_ , Bokuto, you’re really too much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, writing about Bokuto just makes me so happy. I don't know why.  
> His energy is just so infectious. He's so precious. He must be protected. UwU  
> Also, I might not update tomorrow because I've hit a snag with the chapter I'm writing right now, and have to edit the past few ones because I think I didn't drop enough hints of what's going to happen.  
> I don't like just springing everything on you guys, so... yeah.  
> If you go back, there will be some hints in the earlier chapters that will make sense in the later chapters.  
> Thank you for the comments and the kudos!  
> Especially to Vanillasoda (whom I think is my "Hinata soulmate") and sunflowertea (whose comment I accidentally deleted! I'm really, really sorry!) xx


	35. Not for Him

Before anyone could even comprehend it, it was already the 5thof January— thus, the start of the Spring Inter-High Volleyball Nationals. Kuroo’s heart was pounding in his chest as he led his team towards the main building— wanting nothing more than to be holding (Y/n)’s hand right now, but she had to be at school until they cut classes at lunch time so they could come to the Metropolitan gym for support.

Despite his nervousness, though, he still pushed on with as much confidence as he could muster; even going as far as to tease Karasuno’s weird first year duo when he saw them. “It must’ve been nice to get an up close and personal look at the Sky Tree for you country bumpkins.”

Most of his team mates chuckled, and he stepped forward to shake Daichi’s hand— applying even more pressure than necessary as he locked eyes with the other captain. “Nice to see you again, Sawamura- _san_.”

“Same to you, Kuroo- _san_ ,” Daichi answered through gritted teeth— squeezing his competitor’s hand even tighter than he already was. The golden-eyed captain retaliated, and they just smiled at each other until both of them pulled away at the same time— succumbing to a draw on their pissing contest. “Is (Y/n)- _san_ here with you?”

Kuroo’s right eye twitched at the seemingly harmless question, and he answered, eyes darting over Daichi’s shoulder to lock on to Sugawara, who was engrossed in a conversation with Yaku. He knew that the grey-haired setter and his fiancée were still texting each other, and had made plans to meet up after the games were done— (Y/n) had told him and he didn’t protest, but that didn’t mean that he was thrilled about it, though.

“She’s going to be here after lunch for Nekoma’s first game,” Kuroo answered coolly, looking back at Daichi and smirking.

“I see that the bruise on your cheek healed nicely,” Karasuno’s captain commented with a small, teasing smile. Of course, he wouldn’t let that go— they had seen the evidence of getting beat up by one of their setters, since him and Sugawara still went to practice after what had transpired between them. The whole team wasn’t all that perplexed that Sugawara could throw a punch— they had all been subject to the fury of his fists at one point— but they still stared at Kuroo as if he had grown another head during his time with them.  
  
“ _Ne_!? What bruise, Kuroo- _san_? Did you get in a fight?” Lev asked aloud, hovering behind Kuroo as he tried to examine his captain’s face for any trace of a bruise. “Oh, the one that you got a few months ago? You never did tell us how you got it." 

The golden-eyed captain clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes at a chuckling Daichi. “ _Uzai_ , Lev.”

 

***

 

“ _Ah_ , damn it,” (Y/n) muttered frantically under her breath as she emerged from the doors leading to the lower balcony section of the stadium— cursing her bad sense of direction with all the people mulling around outside in the main hall. She had taken refuge through the first open door she had seen, if only to get out of the crowd.

At least she was on the right court.

She marched up to the low banister, not paying any attention to the few people sitting down, and looked around the gym in search for any familiar faces. She saw Alisa and Akane on the other side of the court— behind the opposing team— which had her groaning in frustration. She never really got the reason behind changing courts, but she was thanking whoever had come up with them in the first place because it currently afforded her a nice view of Kuroo’s ass and thighs.

She was already late because there were a lot of people on the train, and she had missed her stop by one station, so she had to walk back— not wanting to face the throng of sports enthusiasts filling up the trains. Kuroo had basically blown up her phone with thirty texts asking where she was and ten missed calls; all of which she couldn’t answer because she was too busy fighting for her right to breathe in the damn train.

By the time that she had gathered her wits enough to call him back, her call only went to his voicemail— and she left a mildly irate explanation of why she was running late. She checked the scoreboard and cursed when she saw that it was already the second set— Kuroo had to have been upset by her tardiness, still she was happy that they were doing pretty well with 10-7 on the board.

Her eyes drifted back towards the game, zeroing in on her raven-haired captain as he jumped up to block the opponent. He instantly killed the spike, and she couldn’t help but scream out along with some of the people in the stadium. “Nice block, Tetsu!”

Almost as if on instinct, Kuroo’s ears perked up when he heard the faint call of his nickname. His upset from (Y/n)’s absence instantly vanished and his eyes quickly roamed the stands in front of him, frowning when he didn’t see her.

“Oh hey! It’s (Y/n)- _chan_!” Lev called enthusiastically from the side, waving at the (h/c) haired girl who had been his team’s temporary manager once upon a time. Said girl waved back at the standby players with a bright grin on her face, then turned back to the game.

Kuroo was so tempted to look behind him to get a glimpse at her, but the referee had already blown his whistle to let Nobuyuki know that he could serve. The ball went flying across the net and another rally began— which ended with him blocking a spike and slamming the ball down on Kiyokawa’s side— a renewed sense of enthusiasm running through him at the knowledge that (Y/n) came to support him and the team. He was going to have to ‘punish’ her about being late and upsetting him, but that could wait until later in the evening when they were alone in his room.

Kiyokawa’s coach called for a time out, and both teams dispersed to their respective coaches— taking towels from the bench and wiping their sweat away while Nekomata- _sensei_ talked strategy to them before telling them that they’re doing a good job.

Kuroo’s eyes discreetly drifted up to look at his fiancée who was staring intently at him. She shot him an apologetic smile before making a heart with her hands and holding it out. A blush crawled on to his face and he looked away from her— she just looked so cute, and he wasn’t as immune to her charms as he liked to think. 

The rest of the team noticed the color on his cheeks and all eyes went to him— which had him ducking down and glaring at his shoes in an effort to hide his blushing face.

“ _Ah_ , captain, you’re not upset anymore now that (Y/n)- _senpai_ ’s here, right?” Inuoka asked brightly, only to be met with a glare from said captain. The first year flinched away, and raised his hands up to his chest in mock surrender.

“He’s only telling the truth, captain,” Yaku goaded, slapping the taller male’s back before waving up at the (h/c) haired girl in the stands. “You should have seen your face when you were texting her earlier— scary.”

“ _Urusai_!” Kuroo hissed indignantly. Silently thanking the gods because the buzzer signaling the end of the time out rang— which had everyone walking back to their previous positions. While he was walking to the right-hand corner of the court, however, he looked up at his lover and sent a panty-melting smile her way— one that was enough to make her damp with all the unspoken sensual promises that it entailed.

“ _Oi_ , Suga, isn’t that (Y/n)- _san_?”

(Y/n) turned around at the mention of her name, a grin blooming on her face when she saw that it was the three third years on Karasuno’s volleyball team. She raised a hand up in a casual greeting, mentally quirking an eyebrow at herself because she was adopting quite a few of Kuroo’s mannerisms with the time that they spent together. “Hi.”

“(Y/n),” Sugawara greeted pleasantly, breaking away from his team mates to stand in front of his childhood friend. His heart raced in his chest at the sight of her, and he tamped down the overwhelming feeling of attraction that engulfed him. He was about to wrap his arms around her in a hug, but she beat him to it. He could feel his heart breaking in his chest with how tight she was clinging on to him.

She smelled nice; like a minty-apple scent that caressed his senses. His arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders, and he gave her a little squeeze before untangling himself from her, no matter how much he wanted to stay where he was.

“How was your game? I wish I could have been here earlier, but I had classes in the morning,” (Y/n) asked chirpily, staring right into her friend’s hazel eyes before pushing back the uncomfortable feeling that she got from his stare; it was too intent and too… affectionate.

“ _Ah,_ we won, so we’ll be playing on Court B for the second game.”

“That’s amazing!” The (h/c) haired girl praised, getting pulled back to the game when she heard people cheering wildly. Nekoma had just scored another point by completely shutting out Kiyokawa’s ace.

Sugawara could see the pride and love just in (Y/n)’s expression alone; it made his chest feel uncomfortably tight, so he put a hand up and, as nonchalantly as he could, he rubbed at the sore spot over his heart. He didn’t think that it would hurt **this** much to see her be happy with someone she loved; but still, he didn’t want to let her go. This was enough— it was going to hurt for a while— but he would eventually get over it.

“Go, Nekoma!” She yelled so loudly that he jumped at the intensity of it. He had always known her to be soft-spoken and very shy, but this person in front of him… she was so different— a good kind of different, though; full of life and excitement, and happiness, that it took his breath away.

The setter could feel eyes boring into him, and he looked back at his friends to check if they were the ones sending him such eerie vibes, but they were sat down and happily digging into their lunch; his own _bento_ was perched on an empty chair beside Asahi. He tried to look for the source of the stare, and he found it a few seconds later— coming from Kuroo who was holding the ball in his hands as he walked out of the court to serve.

Kuroo’s golden eyes were narrowed at Sugawara, mentally willing the setter to step further away from (Y/n), only to be distracted by his fiancée leaning over the banister and cupping her hands around her mouth. “Tetsu, nice serve!”

An involuntary grin stretched his lips, and he winked at her— which had her giggling and standing back on the heels of her feet. “Such a dork,” she muttered under her breath with a shake of her head.

 

***

By the time that the scores were 20-19, with Nekoma in the lead, (Y/n) was ensconced between Sugawara and Asahi. She was digging into her own _bento_ and had shared her things with the third years; they were really, extremely nice to her— not because she was Suga’s friend, but because it came naturally to them. It made her happy that Kōshi had found such amazing friends at Karasuno. 

She was on the edge of her seat, clinging tightly to her _bento_ box as she watched the game with rapt attention— only half listening to Asahi comment about Kiyokawa’s ace constantly getting shut out. Yaku had received the ball, passing it on to Kenma, who then tossed it to Kuroo in a back attack.

Nekoma’s captain slammed the ball down on the opponent’s field, and (Y/n) jumped up with an excited cry— which made the three boys with her jump in their seats. A few months ago, she wouldn’t have even made a peep to show how proud she was of Kuroo but now, everything was differen— she was different. Even she could feel it in herself, and she only had Kuroo to thank for the good changes he brought in her. 

She felt more secure in herself, in a sense; when before, she would always question her abilities and her confidence, now… after getting through quite a few things she considered to be big milestones, and knowing that Kuroo would always be there waiting for her, she realized that caring too much about other people’s opinions just took the fun out of life; she still cared though—that would never change— but just a little bit.

(Y/n) sat down again, sheepishly smiling at the bewildered third years that she was with. “Sorry, I got carried away.”

“No, it’s fine. We understand,” Asahi chuckled good-naturedly, moving to pat (Y/n)’s shoulder but pulling his hand back when he remembered that she was a girl. The hand moved to scratch at the back of his neck, as (Y/n) grinned up at him.

22-21.

(Y/n) gnawed on her bottom lip in anticipation, having kept her _bento_ at the 21-point mark so she wouldn’t break it with how hard she was holding on to it. Just watching her team play at Nationals was enough to get adrenaline coursing through her system— it reminded her immensely of how she had felt during her middle school days, when she was on the court with a three-point lead and one minute on the clock. In a sense, she was living vicariously through Kuroo.

24-21. Match point.

Kuroo had put a one-touch on the ball, sending it ricocheting over to Kenma who had set it to Fukunaga. (Y/n) was halfway out of her seat in an awkward crouch— the Karasuno boys were looking at her as if she had sprouted two more arms— and she cheered when Fukunaga’s cross spike landed on Kiyokawa’s court.

Kuroo had put an arm around a knackered Kenma, leading the pudding-head off the court only to be bombarded by their other team mates before they were even fully off of it.

Sugawara’s eyes stayed on (Y/n), just noting how happy she was that Nekoma was advancing to the next round, and he let himself linger on the thought that had been tugging at the outskirts of his mind since he had seen her: what would it be like to be cheered on by **her**? For her to be his number one supporter?

He shook his head and let the thought die out in his head, unwilling to let it hurt him even more than it already was. Maybe someday he would have that— not with (Y/n), though; he wouldn’t hold his breath for it. She wasn’t meant for him, he knew that, it was just going to take some time for his heart to fully accept it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got done rewriting some parts earlier than I thought. I love productive days. UwU  
> If anyone has noticed, I've already put up the total number of chapters. 45.  
> It's still a rough guess-timate, so it might go up to 46 for the epilogue.  
> Thank you! xx


	36. Loss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler warning for the manga.  
> Even though almost everyone's read it already. UwU  
> Thank you for the kudos and the comments! xx

By the time that the buzzer signaling the end of the match rang, there were tears pricking the backs of (Y/n)’s eyes. She knew that there could only be one winner, but it still didn’t make it any easier to accept that this was Kuroo’s last volleyball game with his high school teammates. (Y/n) was happy for Karasuno— she really was— but her feelings still lay with Nekoma, because they were **her** team as well.

Kuroo had been dumbstruck by something that Kenma had said; she couldn’t really make anything out with the loud cheers from Fukurōdani happening just a few paces away, but her eyes still stayed on the man that she loved. His shoulders seemed tense, but he kept on joking and playing around with his teammates, until he looked up at her in the stands.

The sight of his eyes from this distance was enough to break her heart, she couldn’t imagine that she would even be able to keep her composure had she been up close to see his bright but extremely sad eyes. He smiled up at her, and she made a heart with her hands— holding it a few inches away from her so it seemed like she was sending it to him.

It had become sort of a habit for her to do that when he was on the court and she had no way of calling out to him with all the voices surrounding them. He never complained about it— seemed to like it, even— so she never stopped doing it since she first did it on the opening day of Nationals.

He raised a hand up as if to give her a thumbs up, but his attention was called for line-up. Reluctantly, he fell in line with the rest of his team and shook the Karasuno team members’ hands.

Tears now pooled in (Y/n)’s eyes at the sight of such sportsmanship presented by both teams, and she joined in with the people clapping for both Karasuno and Nekoma. She was doing a good job of keeping her tears at bay, until Daichi went under the net and gave Kuroo a hug— at that, her tears started streaming down her cheeks, especially when she saw her lover hug the other captain back just as enthusiastically.

Her eyes flitted over to the other players— more tears spilling from them when she saw that they were all exchanging friendly hugs as well as interacting in their own special ways. She was too taken by the scene that she didn’t even notice Akane being consoled by Alisa beside her.

Most of the people on her team were crying, which made her feel for them all the more— she didn’t know what it was like to fulfill such a dream with their ‘ _fated’_ rivals, but she could understand the sadness that they felt because no one ever liked to lose after working so hard.

The team had lined up in front of them by the time that she was able to pull herself from her musings, and she almost missed the intent gaze that Kuroo had pinned on her before he bowed down so deeply that it made her heart swell with pride and fondness— it was as if his words of gratitude were just for her.

A low sigh escaped her lips and she bowed back lightly, before holding sitting back down in her seat. Most people were already dispersing, but not her— she wanted to stay and watch the tail end of Fukurōdani’s game in the next court, if only to see if his _Daruma_ doll really worked for him. Kuroo had told her that the ace had made it his goal to win at Nationals and wished for it on the gigantic doll, so she couldn’t help but be curious.

Still, even though she forced herself to pay attention to the other game, her eyes still kept going back to Kuroo— who was now being leading the team in thanking Nekomata- _sensei_. A small smile made its way to her lips as she recalled her fiancé’s reason for even going to Nekoma in the first place: all so Nekomata- _sensei_ could be his coach— and here he was years later, fulfilling the old man’s dream of having a match with Karasuno at Nationals.

“(Y/n)- _chan_ , do you want to go with us? We’re going to get something to eat,” Alisa asked softly, smiling down at the (h/c) haired girl who looked so at home in her seat.

(Y/n) shook her head with a grateful smile on her lips. “I’d love to, but I have to wait for Tetsurō…” She let her statement trail off, not wanting to out her fiancé’s emotional state right now— even though it was obvious to anyone who paid close attention to his body language. “Maybe I can catch up with you two later, though? Would you mind giving me your number so I can text you?”

(Y/n) forked over her phone to the taller girl, and said girl typed her number into the small gadget before handing it back. The former quickly saved the contact as Haiba Alisa, then smiled at both girls before her. “Don’t be too sad, Akane- _chan_. There’s still next year, okay?”

The little girl nodded, tears still rolling down her face as she bid (Y/n) goodbye and walked off with Lev’s sister.

 

***

 

By the time that Fukurōdani’s game was done, Kuroo immediately looked for his fiancée; only to find that she was gone from her seat in the stands. He had wordlessly asked her if it was fine for him to stay and watch Bokuto’s game, and she had agreed— so, it made no sense for her to just disappear since they had agreed to grab lunch together. 

His eyes searched the entire gym for her, only to snap towards the open doors a few feet behind him when he heard someone make a _psst_ sound to call his attention. Lo and behold, (Y/n) was poking her head into the restricted area— not paying any attention to the strange looks that she was receiving from the news crews. 

“Kenma, do you want to join me and (Y/n) for lunch?” Kuroo asked his friend. 

The blond shook his head, muttering something about sleeping before waving at (Y/n). The latter waved back, about to say something when Kuroo closed the gap between them in a few quick strides and shooed her away from the doors.

When they were safely hidden behind the walls, Kuroo wrapped his arms tightly around the (h/c) haired girl and clung tightly to her red sweater. He could feel the tears pooling in his eyes, and he tried his best to keep them at bay— but he was tired of pushing his feelings to the backburner. The raven-haired male burrowed his face against the crook of (Y/n)’s neck and—as quietly as he could— let his feelings overtake him. 

His tears were soaking (Y/n)’s sweater, but she couldn’t care less about it as she wrapped her left arm around Kuroo’s torso so that her hand could rub soothing circle across his back, while her right hand took purchase on the back of his head— gently running her fingers through his hair as he cried… and cried… and cried some more.

If her heart was breaking earlier, not it was absolutely shattered. Never in her life had she seen Kuroo this vulnerable, and a huge part of her appreciated that he could let his guard down so easily around her now, but a minuscule part of her hated that it had taken such a sad development to bring them together like this.

She didn’t know how long they stood there, but it mustn’t have been that long since no one had exited the doors that they were next to in the time that they were there. Kuroo’s tears had subsided, but he still clung tightly to (Y/n), as if she would disappear if he loosened his arms around her. Still, the (h/c) haired girl didn’t mind— not only because he had done the same thing for her one too many times, but because she **wanted** to comfort him and hold him.

“You were so amazing today, Tetsu.”

He didn’t answer her verbally, only loosened his grip on her sweater and laid his hands flat against the center of her shoulder blades.

“I’m looking forward to cheering for you like this when you’re at university, okay? If I can’t be at a game because of school, I’ll always be waiting for you.”

The captain nodded against her shoulder, closing his tired eyes and straightening up to his full height so that he could pull her against his chest. He knew that he was still sweaty as hell, but he could hardly care about that at the moment.

They hadn’t talked about his plans for university in depth, but the snippets that they did get to talk about involved Kuroo moving to an apartment near whatever university he was going to get into— and (Y/n) staying with him during the weekends or on game days… or just whenever she wanted. They weren’t deluded enough to immediately jump into moving in together— it was too much responsibility to take on at such a busy transition in their lives, even though it was a tempting idea; the mere fact that they could stay together at any given time was enough to tide their desires over in the time being.

 

***

 

“Isn’t this a little too much, (Y/n)?” Kuroo asked, obviously bewildered, when he re-entered his room after a hot bath— only to gaze upon the plethora of lucky talismans and various lucky statues that weren’t on his desk when he’d left his fiancée in his room. “Where did you even hide all of that?”

“In my bag, of course. Don’t tell me that you’re above good luck charms, Tetsu.” (Y/n) batted her eyelashes at the raven-haired male, knowing that he was going to ask her to clear all of those things had she not resorted to acting cute with him. She knew that he didn’t believe in lucky charms all that much, but she **did** , and she wasn’t letting him get unlucky when she was there with her arsenal of lucky trinkets.

“It’s only a couple of exams, (Y/n),” the raven-haired male commented with a sigh, sitting down at his desk and ruffling his damp hair as the cold air from the a/c unit hit his face.

The (h/c) haired girl scoffed at his nonchalance, then laid down on his bed which was right next to his study table. “Just a ‘ _couple of exams’_.” She snorted, which had her fiancé quirking an eyebrow at her unladylike behavior— not that he had a problem with her acting so comfortably around him. “You’re taking an exam for _Todai_! They have a 0 to 10-percent acceptance rate, Tetsurō. Do you know how many good luck charmsI gave Haru- _nii_ before his exam day? And look at where he is now.”

“Well, in his defense, Haru- _nii-san_ **is** smart. Luck had very little to do with him passing the entrance exam.”

“Well, if you think he’s so great, why don’t you go and marry him instead?” (Y/n) griped, throwing a pillow at her lover— which said lover failed to dodge.

Kuroo smirked. “When you start folding paper cranes, I just might.”

A blush colored the girl’s cheeks, and she turned to face the wall to hide her flustered face. She was, in fact, starting to fold paper cranes because she wouldn’t bring home a creepy _Daruma_ doll even if her life depended on it; some people thought they were cute, she just thought that they were scary. 

“You **are** starting to make them, aren’t you!?” Kuroo accused with a teasing grin— placing a hand on his lover’s waist and trying to make her turn back towards him, to no avail.

“ _Urusai_!”

“How many have you made so far?”

“None for you! I’ll give them to Yaku and Nobuyuki instead.”

“The hell you are! Those are mine. Where are they?”

(Y/n) stayed put in her spot even when Kuroo trailed his hand down to her thigh and snapped the right thigh band of her panties against her skin. His hand lingered there, just rubbing tantalizing circles across the sensitive skin of her thighs, until it drifted down to cup her pussy. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting answers,” Kuroo answered simply as he crawled in beside her and curved his body around hers in a spooning position. His fingers moved her cotton panties aside, and delved into her slit— relentlessly stimulating her entrance as well as her clit.

She tried to protest because she was still sore from the things that they had done two days prior, but a gasp replaced the words that were about to spill from her lips. Kuroo had plunged two of his fingers in her tight cunt, scissoring the digits to stretch her out for his cock—it always amazed him that he could make her dripping wet in such a short time.

“Where, (Y/n)?” He muttered next to her ear, nipping at the shell of it before soothing the bite with a lick.

The (h/c) haired girl bit her bottom lip and tried clamping her thighs together, in an effort to keep Kuroo from plunging his fingers in and out of her at such a delicious pace that brought her to the precipice of her orgasm— until he pulled his fingers out of her and rubbed the head of his cock along her weeping entrance. “What the hell, Tetsu!?”

“You want to cum, don’t you? You know what I want to hear,” the golden-eyed male whispered as he shallowly thrust his cock into her— effectively making her lose her wits for a couple of seconds.

“Fuck me already, Tetsurō- _sama_ ,” (Y/n) cried softly, her voice taking on a begging tone that made Kuroo’s cock twitch. “Please, Tetsurō- _sama_.”

“Tempting, but not what I want to hear.” He rubbed the head of his cock against her clit before pulling back and pressing it against her asshole. His cock was eagerly pressing against the tight hole— merely teasing— until he pulled it back and slammed it inside her cunt down to the hilt.

(Y/n) arched against him, and he placed a hand on the underside of her right thigh so he could pull it up against her torso— for easier and deeper penetration. She mewled quietly, but he refused to move until he got what he wanted.

“Move, Tetsurō.”

Aforementioned male refused to budge, staying sheathed in her tight pussy as she tried to buck her hips against his for some well-needed friction. After a couple of fruitless thrusts, (Y/n) groaned and caved in, “They’re in my bag. Now, move.”

“Gladly.” Kuroo chuckled before pulling out almost all the way and bottoming out in her again, holding tight to her hips as he repeated the action until she clamped down on him— signaling him that she was close. At that, he quickened the pace until she was cumming all over his cock.

Unfortunately for her— or fortunately— he wasn’t close to being done, so he pulled out of her and straddled her outstretched left leg before propping the right one against his left shoulder. With one smooth motion, he was inside her again and, once more, (Y/n) was a moaning mess. She was clinging so hard to the pillow beneath her head that there was one point that he thought she was going to rip it— he was just **that** good.

His hips relentlessly thrusted against hers, bringing him closer to his release— until the sight of (Y/n) unbuttoning her uniform to pull her breasts out from the cups holding them, so that she could play with her pink nipples served as his undoing. 

He faltered in his rhythm, until he was just erratically thrusting his cock in her cunt to chase his imminent release. Not even a minute later, he was shooting his thick load into her; a slew of curses falling from his lips before he leaned down— stretching her leg along the way— to capture her lips with his.

“Oh, that feels so good,” the petite girl beneath him gasped out, and he tentatively thrusted his cock in and out of her to get a good feel of the new position. He had been getting soft, but the new stimulation effectively had his erection waking up again— he could feel so many more places inside her that he hadn’t reached before.

No studying got done that night; nor did (Y/n) get to go home like she planned— succumbing to her fatigue and accepting the fact that she was going to have to wake up early so she can go home and get ready for school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, sorry if the game aspect of the story was basically non-existent.  
> Ahh, anyways, I've hit a snag again. I keep getting writer's block for unknown reasons.  
> Maybe because I need to get some fresh inspiration aside from having Unsteady by the X Ambassadors and Small Bump by Ed Sheeran on repeat.


	37. Pineapples

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title doesn't mean anything.  
> I was just too stumped to think of an acceptable one. UwU

“That’s just unsightly, Lev,” (Y/n) commented with a curled upper lip as Lev raised the hem of his shirt up to wipe the sweat from his face. From beside her, Yaku chuckled before going back to the reviewing the notebook in his hand.

Even though the third years had no more reason to stay in the club, Kuroo, Yaku, and Nobuyuki still joined in for practice every once in a while— sometimes just staying in the gym to idly watch while studying for exams, and other times actually playing on the court just like old times.

This brought (Y/n) even closer to the other team members, to the point that she would sometimes join them for lunch at the cafeteria. She figured that she should, at least, make new friends if Kuroo was going to university— and with Yuri and her not talking, what better way to resolve her dilemma than by starting with those whom she was already somewhat friends with.

She would have made some more friends at the Literary club, but she knew them to be such gossips— even for quiet people— that she wasn’t willing to risk accidentally venting and having the whole school know about it in the next hour.

“ _Eh,_ (Y/n)- _senpai_ , that’s just mean,” Lev grumbled before taking a sip of water from his sports bottle. “You’re becoming like Kuroo- _san_.”

“What?” Kuroo snapped to attention, looking up from his notes to pin Lev with his glare. “I dare you to repeat that, Lev.”

“N-nothing. I said nothing, _ah_ , what’s that Kenma- _san_? You want me to hit a toss?” The half-Russian first year rambled, slowly backing away from the group on the bench before running over to Kenma, who was busy playing a game on his handheld gaming console.

“That was just mean, Tetsurō,” (Y/n) chimed with a grin.

Kuroo shrugged. “He deserved it. Hey, should we get something to eat before I take you home?”

(Y/n) pursed her lips in thought, swallowing back the excess saliva that pooled in her mouth at the thought of pineapples that ran through her mind. She’d been craving for the tart fruit for a week now, and she’d had to make do with drinking pineapple juice to tide her over, but she wanted the real thing. “I want pineapples.”

“In case you’ve forgotten, we still have a long way to go before summer,” the raven-haired male answered with a smirk as well as a quirked eyebrow.

“It won’t hurt to try looking for them. Please, Tetsu?” (Y/n) batted her eyelashes at her fiancé, which made him groan exasperatedly and turn away from her with a gruff ‘ _fine_ ’.

From beside (Y/n), Yaku made whipping motions with his hand before adding, “So whipped.”

“Yeah? But I still have a fiancée. What about you, Yakkun? Where’s yours?”

Yaku rolled his eyes and slammed his notebook closed before getting up and pointing at Kuroo. “I’m not in a rush to get a girlfriend! She’ll come when she’s supposed to!”

“Maybe you’re looking for a boyfriend?” (Y/n) chirped, adopting a small smile on her lips. “You can have Tetsurō.”

“ _Oi_! Why are you giving me away to him? Is it that easy for you and Natsu- _chan_ to trade people like you’re giving puppies away?” Kuroo was bewildered, closing his notebook as well as he pouted at his lover.

“I have no use for someone who won’t go to the ends of the earth to give me the pineapples that I want, Tetsurō,” (Y/n) answered playfully, even going as far as to flick her hand dramatically in his direction.

“Who’s Natsu- _chan_?” Nobuyuki asked from Kuroo’s left, also closing his notebook to join in on the scuffle.

“Ooooh, Kuroo slipped! Natsu- _chan_ might actually be his side chick!” Yaku hollered, having so much fun razzing his team captain. To his surprise, (Y/n) let out a laugh that was so unceremoniously loud that it made everyone look over at them. She pressed her hand to her mouth as she doubled over in her seat, while her shoulders still shook with the intensity of her laugh.

“Natsu had him wrapped all around her little finger. Ah,” (Y/n) answered through giggles. Tamping them down to a grin as she straightened up and fished for her phone in her bag. “Let me show you.”

“Don’t you dare, (Y/n)!” Kuroo leaned across the bench to grab at his fiancée, but she stood up quickly and raced over to Yaku’s side, holding her phone out to him— which displayed the picture of Kuroo squeezed in the pink, frilly princess teepee.

Yaku stared back and forth between the picture and Kuroo— having trouble processing that it really was the tall middle blocker who was squeezed into something that was barely big enough for four children. He started laughing. “I didn’t know you were such a softie, Kuroo- _san_. I like your star sticker, very chic.”

“(Y/n)!” The middle blocker bellowed, springing up from his seat and running towards the (h/c) haired girl to tackle her in a hug— which sent her phone hurtling to the air and on to the ground.

“My phone! _Baka_ Tetsurō! _Baka_!” (Y/n) started swatting at his chest with her hands, trying to make him let go of her, to no avail. He only held her tighter and leaned down to catch her lips with his.

“Ah, Kuroo- _san_ , do you want to be suspended again?” Nobuyuki asked sheepishly, averting his gaze from the couple before him. Of course, the volleyball team knew the real reason why their captain and his fiancée were suspended— yet didn’t know who had reported them. “That’s PDA.” 

Kuroo broke away from the kiss, but still kept his arms around his fiancée. “I’m leaving soon, so **ha**!”

“ _Ne_ , (Y/n), here’s your phone.” Kenma trudged over towards the couple, holding out his phone, which Kuroo accepted from behind (Y/n). His eyes widened and his blood ran cold when he saw the crack across the screen— she took very good care of her things, and prided herself with the fact that even though she’d dropped her phone thrice, it never cracked; and now, because of him… oh, he was going to die.

“ _Ah_ , so, my dearest, you said you wanted pineapples, right? Let’s go to the grocery store later and I’ll get you one.”

“What did you do?” (Y/n) hissed, trying to push Kuroo away to no avail— until he relented, but hid her phone behind his back. “What did he do, Kenma?”

“Uh…” The setter traded glances with his closest friend, before glancing over at (Y/n)— fear blanketing his features before he snapped his gaze down to his feet. She really was scary when she wanted to be.

“You broke him, (Y/n)- _senpai_!” Lev came running back to the group, slapping Kenma on the back— which earned him a deadpan look from the setter. “Breathe, Kenma- _san_.”

“I’m gonna break your precious captain next if he doesn’t tell me what he did to my phone.” Everyone took a collective step away from (Y/n), all of them silently wishing that she would turn back into the sweet girl that they’d spent the training camp with. It was great that they were getting along with her so nicely, but she had the tendency to turn scary whenever she was irritated— more frequently nowadays since Kuroo always raised her hackles.

Reluctantly, Kuroo raised the phone in front of him and pressed the unlock button to illuminate the screen and show her the large crack going from the upper right corner to the lower left corner.

“Kuroo Tetsurō!”

He bowed and clapped his hands together in front of him— asking for mercy; which, truthfully, earned chuckles from his teammates. He really was so whipped. “How many pineapples do you want?”

 

***

 

The days seemed to fly by after that, and by the time that (Y/n) realized it, Kuroo had already graduated and had one month to relax before he moved to his apartment near _Todai_. (Y/n) was happy that he had gotten accepted to his dream school for Biochemistry, but was sad that he was going to move to an apartment near the university— which was almost 40 minutes away, compared to the 10 minutes that she had to travel to his family’s home. It was going to be hell on her body by then, but she just had to suck it up.

Still, it was better than if he had enrolled to Kyoto University— which was his backup school; that was 6 to 7 hours away by car and 3 hours by train.

“What are you thinking about?” Kuroo asked softly, squeezing the (h/c) haired girl’s hand to bring her out of her reverie.

They had been walking around the grocery store for ten minutes, because she insisted that she wanted to buy snacks for her three-day stay at his house, while his dad and grandparents were gone on a well-deserved vacation. He would have gone with them, but he wanted to spend his free month with (Y/n); because Haruichi kept telling him that he was going to get busy once he entered the university.

“Nothing important,” (Y/n) answered with a smile, dragging him over to one of the shelves so she could grab a couple of chocolate bars, gummy candies, and a big pack of candied, dried pineapples.

He only quirked an eyebrow at her, which had her rolling her eyes.

“I was thinking how sad I am that you’re moving away on the last week of April— it’s only about 40 minutes away, but it’s still too far for my liking. And I’m worried about you, you know? What if you get lonely out there? What if I can’t visit whenever I want because you’re busy… and what if I’m also busy? And what if I mess up and I can’t call you because you’re out studying and just-” She took a deep breath and fanned herself with her free hand, as she felt the tears pricking the backs of her eyes.

Kuroo couldn’t deny the sinking feeling in his stomach when he saw his fiancée on the verge of tears. She’d been much more emotional lately, and he wasn’t naïve enough to believe that it was all because her period was coming up— like she kept telling him. Not to mention the excessive cravings for… basically everything, as well as her insatiable appetite for sex— that one, he didn’t mind one bit. She told him that they had maybe around a 10-percent chance to have a baby, so what if this was their 10-percent?

He had to admit that the idea scared him to no end, even though he was sure that he wanted to have a family with her. This was just too soon for him— for them. Hell, she was just about to start her last year of high school and he was about to start university, and in this economy, it would be so hard to raise a child without a stable job.

He pushed the thought to the back of his mind; wanting to wait for (Y/n) to tell him if she really was pregnant before he jumped to conclusions. He trusted that she would tell him when she was ready.

“No matter how busy I am, you’re always welcome to stay with me,” the raven-haired male answered sweetly, throwing in a smile that made her heart falter in her chest.

“Even at 3 AM?”

“4 AM, 5 AM, and all the hours on the clock. Does that make you feel better?”

“A bit.” (Y/n) grinned, letting go of her fiancé’s hand so she could wrap her arms around his torso. “You know what would make me feel better?”

Kuroo’s golden eyes darkened at her words, and he leaned down to brush his lips against hers. “Getting fucked into the mattress, while you scream my name so loud that the neighbors know who exactly is making you feel so good?”

“No. Extra spicy ramen, of course!” She answered brightly, grinning up at him and winking.

“You’re such a tease.”

“You assume way too much; not my problem. I just wanted some spicy ramen.”

“You don’t even like extremely minty candy— even Mentos are spicy for you.” Kuroo rolled his eyes.

“Hey, I eat mints-”

“The bitch-spicy kind. Remember that time when I literally kissed the candy out of you?”

(Y/n) scowled and pinched his side, which made him glare at her. “Can we not talk about that in public? You’re so crude.”

“Oh, so you’re fine with my dirty talk in public because it makes you horny as hell, but kissing can’t be talked about? What universe is this? Am I really Kuroo Tetsurō— the most amazing husband-to-be? Who am I, really?” Kuroo whispered the first part, gradually getting louder and waving his free arm around— which attracted so much attention from the other customers.

(Y/n) screwed her eyes shut and buried her flaming face in his extremely soft sweatshirt, trying to escape the stares aimed at them. “Can we pay and go already? Please?”

“Yeah, we can. I’ve embarrassed you enough for today— tomorrow’s another day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! Now I know why I can't seem to keep writing this.  
> BECAUSE I DON'T WANT IT TO END.  
> Prolonging the inevitable, in a sense.  
> So, I might space things out for like two days at most because my mind just isn't cooperating at the moment.  
> Also, I have a plot bunny for a oneshot soulmate!AU, so that might be up in a few hours.  
> Thank you for the kudos!  
> And please be patient with me. I just really hate ending a story. :<


	38. Anguish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey!  
> Thank you for the kudos! I really appreciate them. <3

The pain that she was feeling would have been enough to cripple another woman, but she pushed through it. Her back had been hurting for almost the whole day since she woke up, and the stomach ache that she was feeling was so akin to cramps that it wasn’t laughable anymore— however, she had expected the latter pain, as she had indulged in two slices of toast with a more-than-healthy smothering of cream cheese for breakfast.

(Y/n) had been lounging in Kuroo’s bed, comfortably swaddled up in the fleece blanket that he had pulled out for her the night before, when he entered with a pack of Salonpas in his hands. She knew that she should tell him what exactly was wrong with her, instead of going around the question in search for a better opportunity to come clean, but she didn’t want to just spring the news on him.

Not only did her big news entail having to opt for homeschooling, as well as not getting to visit him as much as she wanted, but it also meant that they would have to get ready for a baby. She wanted so badly to tell him at that moment, but the worried look in his eyes as well as the tension in his shoulders indicated that it wasn’t a good time— she would have to try tonight.

Her parents knew; she had told them the day she found out, and they weren’t exactly the happiest about their barely-18-year old daughter having a child, but they were happy **enough** to be having a grandchild from her.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You look a bit pale,” Kuroo mused softly as he sat down on the edge of the bed and guided her to lay down on her stomach. She did so without complaint, and proceeded to kick off the blanket that was encasing her. 

(Y/n) nodded at his query, pushing back her thoughts of when and how to break the news to him. She wasn’t exactly sure of what his response would be, so she had to err on the side of caution in case he needed some time to fully accept the idea that he was going to be a father in 30 more months. She would prefer it if he didn’t require a lot of time to come to terms with it, though, because she needed him to go with her to her first check-up— which was happening sometime around next week.

“I’m fine, just a bit tired and achy is all,” the (h/c) haired girl mumbled under her breath as her fiancé pulled up the hem of her shirt and attached the medicated patch near the base of her spine.

A quiet sigh left her parted lips as the heat from the patch permeated into her skin and took most of the pain away.

“Is it because of last night?” Kuroo asked hesitantly, golden eyes boring into the small, round bruises on both sides of her hips. He already had an inkling of her condition, and he knew that sex wouldn’t harm the baby, but he really should have held back from being too rough last night— it was just that the idea of being away from her in a few weeks made him all the more desperate to be closer to her... which was the lamest excuse ever, but that was it; that was his excuse.

His eyes traced the outline of her body, lingering on the big patch of skin that were exposed by the upturned hem of her shirt, before drifting down to her plump ass and her glorious legs. He was getting needy for her all over again, even when they’d practically christened every corner of his room in their first 24 hours together.

“No, it’s not that. Last night was amazing, to be honest.” She turned her head to the side and sent him a warm smile— which was enough to make his heart lurch in his chest.

He wanted to ask her if his instinct wasn’t messing around with him— he wanted her to confirm if they were having a baby or not, but he held back. Relationships were built on trust, and he trusted (Y/n) wholeheartedly; she would tell him when she wanted to tell him, but it didn’t mean that he wasn’t getting impatient. The agony of waiting for something that he knew was 90-percent true, was weighing heavily on him and harping incessantly at his thoughts.

Of course he was scared; who wouldn’t be? But that fear was overshadowed by joy and excitement— because he knew that he wanted this; he wanted a family with (Y/n). The timing could have been better, though, but he wasn’t picky; he would find a way to raise his child while at university.

He was getting way ahead of himself, so he calmed his racing thoughts and focused on (Y/n).

“What would you like for dinner?” Kuroo asked, by way of distracting himself from his own thoughts.

“Stir-fried vegetables with rice sounds really nice.”

“No meat? Is the apocalypse upon us?”

“ _Urusai_ , Tetsu.”  
  


***  
  


(Y/n) had gone into the bathroom for a hot bath, her face twisted in pain as she moved— because her back pain was close to being unbearable— this, coming from someone with such a high tolerance for pain, was way up there on the scale for a normal person. Her cramps had also gotten worse throughout the day, and no amount of visits to the bathroom could get rid of it; which was a normal occurrence for her when she overindulged on dairy products.

But her back, though. It was killing her, and she hoped that soaking in a bath would lessen the pain that not even Salonpas could handle.

Slowly, she stripped her clothes off, leaving them in a pile on the floor to be picked up later. When she slipped her shorts off, however, her heart felt like it had stopped in her chest. There were smatterings of blood on the pink cotton, and she shakily slipped her panties off— afraid to find out if what she feared was true.

She had never been one to be queasy at the sight of blood, but this sight had her stomach turning so badly that she had to tamp down the urge to vomit. Tears welled up in her eyes—blurring her vision— as she struggled to catch her breath.

Her mouth opened and closed, trying to form words, a scream— anything— but nothing came out except for breathless, heart wrenching sobs. She didn’t know what to do— her mind was yelling at her to move, to call Kuroo so that he could take her to the hospital, but her body refused to cooperate; instead, her legs gave way beneath her, which sent her slumping to the cold floor. What a sight she must have made, with her panties still around her knees and her legs splayed out on either side of her body— not to mention her hysterical sobs, and her hands laying uselessly by her sides.

“No, no, please,” (Y/n) mumbled through sobs, shaking her head all the while. “Please. I… No. T- Tetsurō! H-help!”

Her voice was so weak and cracked at moments— she felt like she was going to go crazy, so she clung on the one name that kept her from breaking entirely. “Tetsurō! Tetsurō! **Help**! **TETSURŌ**!”

With the last cry, (Y/n) slumped forward and hugged herself tightly to ward off the chill that she was feeling as best as she could— to no avail, as the coldness was coming from within her body. She knew that it would be hard and painful, but not like this— she felt like she was being gutted alive and freezing to death at the same time.

Kuroo was in the kitchen when he’d heard (Y/n)’s anguished scream. Without second thoughts, he dropped the knife that he was using, and scrambled up the stairs to get to the bathroom beside his room. He threw the door open and was met by such a scarily heartbreaking sight: (Y/n) slumped on the floor, hugging herself as if to keep herself together— her cries so loud and anguished that he felt his own heart seize in his chest.

Immediately, he grabbed a towel from the rack by the sink, and wrapped it around her shoulders as he knelt down beside her. He didn’t even have to ask what had happened— the blood that he saw was enough indication that she had had a miscarriage.

All he wanted to do at that moment was to hold her and cry, but he forced himself to think rationally. With a shaky hand, he fished his phone from his back pocket and dialed 119.

It didn’t even reach the second ring when the call was picked up. “119, may I know what’s your emergency?”

He blanked out for a second, just looking at (Y/n) and holding his tears back, until the lady on the other line called his attention. “M-my fiancée just had a miscarriage.” The words tasted so bitter on his tongue, and he wanted nothing more than to wipe he vile taste away— yet, he could do nothing about it.

“How far along was she?”

“I, uh, I don’t know. She wasn’t showing yet… what can I do? Are you going to send an ambulance?” His questions were suddenly coming at a rapid pace, and the last one sounded even dumber than its predecessor. It was the first time in his life that he’d felt so stupidly helpless, and it made him feel even worse.

“Can you put her on the phone for me?” The operator asked.

Kuroo was hesitant, but he put the phone on speaker and placed it near (Y/n). Thankfully, her loud cries had quieted down to muffled sobs. He touched her back gently, rubbing soothing circles across the fluffy towel that he’d draped around her shoulders, as he spoke, “(Y/n), can you answer some questions?”

In (Y/n)’s distraught mind, nothing else was playing except the moment that she’d seen the blood— until Kuroo’s faint voice pulled her conscious out of the darkness. She tried to focus on his words— as well as the words of some other woman— that were asking her incessant questions, like how far along was she, did she already have her first check up, and many other things that her brain refused to make sense of.

She wanted so badly for this to be a really bad dream— that at any moment she would wake up in Kuroo’s arms, and they would cuddle until it was time for dinner— but a part of her knew that it wasn’t; a part of her knew that she had lost her unborn child and there was no way of getting them back.

“Six weeks,” the (h/c) haired girl rasped under her breath, and proceeded to break down once more— as if the mere words were a trigger for her.

Kuroo could feel his heart breaking; it hurt even more than when he had lost at Nationals— hell, it hurt even more than the day that (Y/n) had left him. He wasn’t even sure until that moment that he really was having a son or a daughter, and for that to be taken away so abruptly from him felt so… he didn’t even have words to describe it; it was like a huge part of him was taken away.

Still, he pushed his feelings to the backburner and focused on the operator’s words. Get her dressed and take her to the hospital— as she had only been in her first trimester, and she didn’t require an ambulance.

He wanted to lash out at the woman for making (Y/n) and their child seem so insignificant, but he held his tongue and thanked her as curtly as he could, before dropping the call.

And so, he gently picked (Y/n) up from the floor and brought her into his room— wordlessly dressing her to take her to the hospital. She was still hunched over as sobs wracked her body and, no matter how heartbreaking it was to see her in such a state, he didn’t know what to do or say to take her pain away.

The cab ride to the hospital was filled with more sobs from (Y/n) as he tucked her beneath his arm and cradled her to his chest— blatantly ignoring the curious looks that the cab driver kept shooting them from the rearview mirror. The action only served to raise his hackles, so he tucked (Y/n)’s face closer to his chest to keep the man from seeing the tears that she was still shedding.

“Can you not stare at my wife?” He wasn’t sure why he used the term ‘wife’, when they clearly weren’t married— but it was easier to use it instead of fiancée. It erased the bitter taste on his tongue as well; not by much, but good enough.

 

***

 

The short wait for the nurse to call them into the doctor’s office seemed like an eternity— but in reality was merely a few minutes. Once they were in the very sterile-looking room, (Y/n) sat down by the doctor’s table and ducked her head so that her hair would shield her eyes from the bright fluorescent light above them.

It was obvious that she was on autopilot right now— with her eyes looking so dull and empty, like all the life had left her— and her face set into an expressionless mask, even while tears continued streaming down her cheeks. Even through the stoic façade, she carried herself with an ease that was awe-inspiring; she seemed like she was so used to going into this same office and sitting in the same chair, as if she had been doing it for years. 

Then again, all the people here seemed to know her when they walked into the hospital. They were immediately assisted into a private waiting room before being ushered into the doctor’s empty office. The nurse didn’t even ask him to fill any forms out— she only said that she would get (Y/n)’s records.

Based on his past experiences at hospitals, he had never had this kind of special treatment— he’d only seen it happen between long-term patients who’d been there so much that they had bonded with all of the staff— which made him realize that this might have been the same hospital that (Y/n) had gotten treated at a few months ago.

“Mishima- _sensei_ will be with you two in a few minutes,” the nurse bid softly, casting a sympathetic glance over at (Y/n) before exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

Gently, so as not to frighten her, Kuroo reached out and laid a hand against her clasped ones that were on her lap. She paid him no mind, which was like a dagger to his heart, but he swallowed past the pain and tried to comfort her with his words, “I’m here to listen if you want to talk.”

The (h/c) haired girl nodded her head in response, not even bothering to look up at him when she answered. “I was supposed to tell you after dinner. We were… supposed to be happy. We were going to have a baby. 

That made tears spring up in Kuroo’s eyes, and he didn’t even bother wiping them away when they rolled down his face. “I really don’t know what to say right now. I want to tell you that we’re going to be okay, but I would be lying— it hurts, (Y/n). It hurts so bad…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Initially, I was planning on them having a HUGE fight, but decided against it because that would have just ruined their character development— that would have put everything back to square one, so yeah.  
> Also, I cut the chapters by two. So, it's only 43 chapters now instead of 45. Because there's no use in dragging things out now. :<  
> Aaaaand, if I finish it today, the soulmate!AU with Suga will be posted in my "collection". It's not a collection yet, but it will be. UwU  
> Comments are nice and very much appreciated. <3


	39. Hanami

(Y/n) felt like the sun was never going to rise again as she laid dormant in her bed— she was falling apart on the inside, and everyone except Kuroo couldn’t see that. 

They all meant well, but they were just too much; they were starting to get suffocating, but she couldn’t even bother to make herself tell them off. She was content with staying in the same spot and alternating between crying herself to sleep or holding on to Kuroo until she passed out.

She was in a constant state of darkness that, no matter how hard she tried to get out of, she always fell back into. Her world had tilted on its axis and displaced life as she knew it when she heard the words from her doctor that she had lost the baby.

“It’s been two weeks, (Y/n). Why don’t we go out for some fresh air?” Kuroo suggested softly, sitting down on the edge of the bed and reaching a hand out to stroke her right hip— as she had been on her side, facing the curtains that were drawn over the sliding doors.

The (h/c) haired girl merely shook her head in response, before burrowing deeper into her pillow and tucking her hands closer to her body.

A sigh made its way past Kuroo’s lips. He hadn’t expected her to bounce back quickly from what happened, but he was afraid that if he left in two more weeks with her in the same state of mind, she might really implode and… he didn’t even want to think of what could happen. He knew that she was only listening to his pleas for her to eat because it was **him** who was asking; when he left, he feared that she wasn’t even going to listen to anyone else— the loss was just too big for her to deal with, and he understood that.

Still, that didn’t mean that he was just going to let her wither away into nothing; they still had their whole lives ahead of them.

“You’ll feel better after a walk— even if it’s just out front. We can go to the park if you don’t want to talk to your parents,” he offered— voice barely above a whisper, so as not to make it seem that he was forcing her to go. 

He wasn’t a saint; she really was testing his patience with her silence— the least she could do was talk to him about it. Kuroo wanted nothing more than for her to **talk** : about how she was feeling, what she was thinking— hell, even just a simple hum would have been a godsend, but she wasn’t giving him even the barest inch to work with.

Silence reigned upon the couple once more, and Kuroo sighed softly before he crawled beneath the blanket and wrapped his arms tightly around (Y/n). “I know you’re in a dark place right now, but I need you to come back to me. Please.”

 

***

 

Kuroo was bracing himself for the same sight that he saw every day when he would come back into (Y/n)’s room after getting her breakfast from the kitchen downstairs—  she would be curled up in a fetal position and would be staring blankly at the curtains with dried tear tracks on her cheeks.

Not today, though.

Today, (Y/n) was sitting at her vanity and brushing her hair with slow, almost methodical strokes. There were still tear tracks on her cheeks, and her face still looked ashen, but at least she was doing **something** other than crying.

“Can we go outside today?” Her voice was a little raspy from lack of use, but it was still like a melody to Kuroo’s ears. He almost dropped the tray that he was holding as he set it down on her study table that was pressed next to the vanity.

“Do you want to go to the park? The _sakura_ are starting to bloom.”

(Y/n) nodded idly, ceasing her brushing before setting the brush down in front of her. “I’m really sorry, Tetsu.”

She still felt like hell, but his words from yesterday had served as her wake up call. She wasn’t the only one who had lost a child— he had lost a son or a daughter as well; he was hurting like her, but he still took care of her as if his own emotions came second to hers. (Y/n) didn’t want to be a burden to him any longer, so she fought against the heaviness and darkness in her head that was keeping her down.

The raven-haired male sent her a small, albeit sad, smile as he leaned down and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Almost instantaneously, she leaned back against him and held on to his forearms. “There’s nothing to forgive, (Y/n).”

 

***

 

“It’s not as pretty as I thought it was going to be.” Kuroo commented offhandedly as him and (Y/n) walked through the tree-lined path at the park. Some _sakura_ were barely sprouting from the branches, while others were already halfway to being full-fledged blooms— it looked more like something out of a horror movie than the fantasy land that it was supposed to be at the beginning of April.

A small smile made its way to (Y/n)’s lips at his words, and she looked up at a small cluster of fully bloomed flowers on a low-hanging branch— before reaching out and touching the silken petals with her fingertips. “They’re still beautiful, though.”

 _They’re not as beautiful as you_. He bit his tongue to keep the cheesy comeback to himself; knowing that he would never be able to remember this moment for as long as he lived without cringing. So, he remained silent.

“I had a strong feeling that she was going to be a girl.” (Y/n) mused softly.

“(Y/n)-” Kuroo warned, only to be cut off by her soft voice.

“I know that there’s no use in lingering on what-ifs, but the least we can do is validate her existence. She was barely the size of a sweet pea, but there was still a soul in that tiny body.” It was the most that she had spoken in two weeks, which Kuroo couldn’t complain about, but he didn’t exactly know how to answer her. Thankfully, she saved him from having to answer, by continuing her monologue. “I keep telling myself that maybe she wasn’t meant to stay with us right now— but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.”

Her pain was so palpable to him now, when he thought that it was already tangible before; the previous days had nothing on how she was projecting her pain now. It was ten-fold, and he felt like it was crushing him— hindering his ability to breathe, ripping out parts of his existence that he didn’t even know were even possible to touch, and rendering his body completely numb for quite some time.

Until her touch sent heat rushing through his veins with just the barest brush of her fingertips against his left forearm. His eyes bore deeply into hers, embedding the way that they looked so hauntingly beautiful beneath the _komorebi_. What was he supposed to say to that? He didn’t want to invalidate her feelings by telling her that he was still hurting as well, nor did he wish to make her feel like she was diminishing his own feelings with her own hurt; so, he still kept quiet.

Had it been any other person, he would have let his words fly without a filter, but this was (Y/n)— she meant more to him than anyone else in the world; and the gods knew that he’d already done more than enough to hurt her in the past.

Kuroo tried searching for any words to say, but came up with only the barest minimum of what he thought was a safe answer. “I’m sure that she’ll look after us from up there.”

He expected more tears— based on the way that her eyes glazed over with sadness— but he was rewarded with a melancholy smile. “Our little angel.”

 

***

 

“ _All lovely things at last go down to you. You are the debtor who is always paid._ ” Kuroo kept reading aloud from the book in his hand, while his fingers ran through (Y/n)’s hair, gently raking through the soft strands as he coaxed her to sleep. “ _But I seek one who came to you too soon. The bud was plucked before the flower bloomed. I tried to bear my loss. I could not bear it_.”

No matter how (Y/n) tried, sleep just wouldn’t consume her. Her eyelids were already heavy, and her eyes stung from too much crying, but tonight, sleep evaded her so lithely. She readjusted her perch on Kuroo’s bare chest, tracing his defined abdominal muscles lightly with the pads of her fingers, while she listened to his steady breaths when he stopped.

“Are you sure you want to hear the rest of this?” He asked with a worried tone, his fingers ceasing their motion and staying pressed against the base of her skull.

She nodded. “I know how it ends, Tetsu.”

Kuroo didn’t like the sad and somewhat bitter tinge to her tone, so he closed the book with a quiet thud before placing it on the bedside table. “Well, how about we change the ending? What if… he gets Eury- Eurydice-” he stuttered on the pronunciation of the name, before continuing, “out of the underworld and they live happily ever after? It’s only a tragedy if you make it out to be one.”

“So, you’re saying that a tragedy can be a comedy if I try hard enough to make it so?” The question wasn’t tainted with malice or any negative implications, but was merely asked out of curiosity.

“Not to that extent, no. But maybe not everything is a tragedy; maybe some tragedies actually have happy endings— at least they’re together in the end, even if they’re both dead.”

“Very Romeo and Juliet of you, Tetsurō.”

He cracked a smile at that before moving his hand down to the back of her neck and squeezing gently. “I’m just trying to cheer you up. I know how you miss talking about books and subplots and all that.”

“ _Hm_ ,” (Y/n) agreed, really awestruck at the fact that Kuroo noticed **that** small thing even after everything that had happened. And so, to reciprocate, she decided to let her see more into her thoughts— the ones that she had planned on doing, and the ones that she was thinking of doing now that she was back to square one. “I was planning on taking online classes or being homeschooled, you know? But now…”

She sighed heavily, but pushed through the heaviness in her chest and continued. “Now… I’m going to go back in April, and I want to quit the literature club.”

“Quit? Why? You love your club, even if everyone’s got a loud mouth,” Kuroo asked, mildly surprised that she would think of leaving her beloved club, yet supportive of her decision. Apart from Yuri, no one else was close friends with (Y/n)— sure, they liked her as the vice president, but the same couldn’t be said on a personal level.

“I just… I don’t think that being all alone there would do any good for me. I’ve always been with Yuri, so I never really made any other friends; but with you, I’ve met so made so many new friends… and I want to help them get to Nationals again.”

Her words were bittersweet; because he loved the idea of her becoming the manager for the boys’ volleyball club, and was mildly jealous of his team mates because he wasn’t going to be there to experience what it was going to be like with her on the team. Still, a grin made its way on to his lips and he wrapped his free arm around her to pull her tighter against him.

“If anyone tries to make a move on you, I’ll kick their ass.”

And finally, after what felt like eternity since she last did so, (Y/n) smiled— a real one that made Kuroo’s chest tighten with so much emotion.

It was going to take some time, but they were going to be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, this chapter was inspired by that time I went to a Hanami in San Francisco (my beloved city, though I lived in Santa Clara). It was a total letdown because my friends were all in it for the food (occupational hazard and all).  
> But they are really pretty when they're in full bloom— even the plum blossoms. UvU  
> I can't believe that this is ending soon, I'm already getting separation anxiety.  
> Still, thank you for the unwavering support! xx


	40. Comeback

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you fo the kudos and the unwavering support!  
> I really appreciate you guys. <3

“If I fall off, you’re really going to get it,” (Y/n) hissed vehemently as she narrowed her eyes at Kuroo.

His hand was still stretched out to her— offering her a full-face helmet that was similar to the one that he was wearing, aside from the white accents on hers. She had to admit that he looked so hot on his motorbike— a red Honda CBR500— that he’d gotten as a late graduation present for himself, but she was still hesitant to ride something that looked so fast even when it was standing still. 

“You’re not; you just have to hold on to me.”

“And what if I still fly off?” The words were said with such distaste that Kuroo had to roll his eyes at his worry-wart of a fiancée. He knew that she would act like this, so he never took her home on his bike, always taking the train with her and walking her to her house like a gentleman— but he was done fighting off the crowds at the station, he was going to take her home on his bike and that was final.

“You won’t. Trust me, okay?” He shook the helmet at her again and, this time, she reluctantly accepted it. Finally, after ten minutes of arguing— she finally caved. “It’s like that first time we did anal— you have to trust me.”

A blush colored (Y/n)’s cheeks and she swatted her hand against Kuroo’s arm— also hitting the soft leather of his jacket in the process. “Do you have to say it so loud?”

“No one’s here, (Y/n). Come on, before I take you back upstairs and teach you how to **trust me** all over again.” Kuroo winked, still offering his hand out to help her get on behind him. 

She only flipped him off before taking his proffered hand and slinging her left leg over the bike and moving up so she could be as comfortable on her perch as possible. Then, she slipped the helmet on and flipped the visor down— before wrapping her arms tightly around her fiancé’s torso; making sure to grip her hands together so as not to fall off.

Kuroo grinned as he flipped his own helmet’s visor down, loving the feeling of (Y/n)’s breasts pressed flush against his back, and giving him so many ideas that he pushed to the backburner as he sped off into the warm morning air.

He would often play with (Y/n), speeding up but staying within the limit until he could feel her nails digging into him through his jacket and his undershirt, and slowing down when she did that. He knew that she didn’t appreciate that one bit, but it was just too fun to tease her.

 

***

 

Once they were in front of (Y/n)’s house, she untangled herself from Kuroo and slipped off the bike, taking the helmet off and shoving it into his arms. He scrambled to hold on to the helmet since she just let go of it like it was garbage, but once it was settled in his right hand, he slipped off his own helmet and quirked an eyebrow at her. 

“No ‘thank you, baby. Come on, let’s fuck upstairs.’?”

“Do you have to be so crude?” (Y/n) whispered frantically as she looked around to see if her neighbors were around— thankfully, they weren’t.

“It’s been a month since you last came over and I have been so fucking horny, (Y/n). Phone sex just isn’t cutting it anymore— and last night just wasn’t enough,” the raven-haired male whined, his face taking on an obnoxiously anguished expression before settling on a smug-looking one that had (Y/n)’s heart racing in her chest.  
  
Whatever he was thinking, it couldn’t have been tame enough to say aloud— because he remained quiet with that salacious grin on his lips, even as he slipped off the bike and set the helmets on the seats, before turning to her and pulling her in for an open-mouthed kiss. 

“I want to fuck you on my bike,” Kuroo whispered through kisses, holding the (h/c) haired girl’s face in his hands to keep her from pulling away— not that she wanted to.

“Hell no,” her answer was muffled and almost unintelligible since it was swallowed by his mouth, but Kuroo had understood. He pulled away from her and dropped his hands from her face— erection straining against his pants and heart beating so fast that he felt it thrumming in his ears.

“Why did you stop?”

“Because you said no.”

“I didn’t say no to…” her voice went down to a whisper. “…sex.”

Kuroo only smirked, knowing that (Y/n) would crack and give in if he let his gaze stay on her long enough.

“I don’t want to do it out here.”

More silence from Kuroo.

“You’re embarrassing!”

“I didn’t even say anything.”

(Y/n) rolled her eyes before pursing her lips in contempt. In the eight months that Kuroo had been at university, he had only gotten better at persuading her to do stupidly racy things— like fucking outside on the balcony of his apartment, giving him a blowjob at the cinema, and other nefarious things that her younger self had never imagined she was capable of doing. It was embarrassing, to say the least, but thrilling at the same time.

“Can we not do this today, please? I just want you,” (Y/n) pulled out her trump card: batting her eyelashes at Kuroo while adopting an innocent expression on her face. She was almost always guaranteed complete victory when she pulled the expression on him.

Kuroo tried to hold himself back from being the one who caved, but he was helpless against her pout. With a sigh, he shook his head and raised his hands up to his chest in mock surrender. “I fold.”

“Good.” (Y/n) smiled, then entered the front gate— making sure to put a little more sway to her hips so that Kuroo could see the red lace thong that she’d changed into this morning; it paid to have some of her clothes at his apartment. “Are you coming?”

It amazed him how quick she changed gears on him— one moment she was shy and indignant, and the next she turned into a vixen that was sent to ruin him. One glance at her panties that were peeking out from the swaying hem of her skirt was enough to get him hard— and pissed. Had she really ridden on his bike and practically exposed herself to all the people that they passed on the streets? Then again, they didn’t even see much people outside because it was only 5 AM on a Saturday.

Shaking the thought out of his head, he cast one last glance at his motorcycle before following after (Y/n).

The moment the door closed behind Kuroo, he was sure that his fiancée was trying to kill him— because she just so-happened to bend over to take her shoes off, which afforded him a full look at her lace underwear. He reared his hand back and landed a resounding smack against her skin— leaving her skin with a blushing red color that made him even hotter for her.

“You better be thankful that no one else is home,” she stated saucily, before boldly reaching between her thighs and moving her underwear to the side. He almost groaned at how wet she already was. “Look at what you did to me, Tetsu.”

“How did I get so lucky?” Kuroo muttered under his breath as he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, then pulled his erection out— repositioning her so that her hands were braced against the wall— before he brushed the head of his cock against her slit to tease her.

He was about to put his hands into the mix, to get her to cum before they moved on to bigger and better things, but she stopped him. “No foreplay. I'm so wet already. I just need you to fuck me, Tetsu. Please.”

It killed him to know that she was as desperate for him as he was for her, yet he pushed the thought to the side as he focused on making her feel good. He rubbed her clit with the head of his cock, before trailing it back up her slit and shallowly slipping it inside her opening.

He was halfway in her when he pulled out again— making her whine at the loss of contact— before he pushed into her in one thrust; in the way that made her cry his name out so loud that there could be no mistake as to who was making her feel so good.

Kuroo’s hands anchored themselves to her hips, pulling her back against him with every thrust he made. And soon enough, only the sound of his and (Y/n)’s moans as well as the slap of skin against skin reverberated in the room. 

(Y/n)’s mind was filled with nothing but pleasure as she tried to find purchase against the wall, to no avail, so she resorted to using her forearms to keep herself upright— what with Kuroo’s powerful thrusts almost lifting her off the floor. Then, he changed the angle of his thrusts to that familiar spot within her that he knew drove her absolutely wild— and she screamed as he hit that spot over and over.  
  
“Tetsu! Tetsu! I’m so close!” (Y/n) cried out breathlessly, letting her head loll down between her arms as he kept thrusting. 

“ _Hn_ , me too, I’m gonna fill you up with so much cum-” Kuroo rasped out through his frantic thrusts. Then with one last powerful thrust, he felt (Y/n)’s pussy clench tightly around him, and he kept on thrusting to catch up with her; relentlessly pounding into her, then filling her up like he had promised.

It wasn’t even a minute later that (Y/n) pulled Kuroo's half-erect dick from inside her, and then knelt down in front of him before unabashedly taking his cock in her mouth— making sure to linger on the vein beneath the head.

He was still too sensitive, which earned a loud and broken cry of pleasure from him, yet his hands still took purchase in her hair as he urged her to take more of his dick in her mouth. Once she relaxed her throat and sucked him down all the way to the hilt, he almost came— until the sound of a throat being cleared rang in the room.  
  
His eyes snapped open immediately and he looked down at his fiancée, before letting his gaze dart over to the middle of the stairs where Haruichi was standing in his pajamas. 

“Uh, well, this is… quite a sight.” The older of the (L/n) siblings joked awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck before moving back up the stairs. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be upstairs soaking myself in bleach. Excuse me.”

Both of them were speechless as they stared at each other, and (Y/n) slowly pulled Kuroo’s half-soft cock out of her mouth with a pop. She hadn’t even had the chance to take his dick out of her mouth when her older brother saw them— it was safe to say that she was mortified.

“You said no one was home!” Kuroo whisper-yelled as he tucked himself inside his pants, before helping his fiancée up from the floor. He fished a wad of tissues from his back pocket before leaning down to wipe his cum, that must have dripped out of her, from the floor. 

“I didn’t know that he was going to be here; he said he was busy!” (Y/n) answered just as quietly, before adjusting her panties to cover herself again, then took off to her room to shower and change for the rest of her day; she still had to go to school because the volleyball team had practice today.

 

***

 

“ _Ah_ , now I know why you wanted to take me to school,” (Y/n) teased softly as she alighted Kuroo’s bike— taking off her helmet and passing it on to him before pulling the sleeves of his old Nekoma jacket up to her forearms. She was practically swallowed by the thing, but she couldn’t care less because it was warm and smelled like Kuroo— since she would make him wear it before she took it for herself, then repeated the process after she washed it. 

“Because I didn’t want you to walk?” Kuroo quipped back, chuckling as he draped an arm around his fiancée, while they took the familiar path down to the second gym. Her white gym backpack now hung from his left shoulder, since he had initially carried it in front of him— and it looked so out of place on him that it was funny.

She shook her head and reached up to lace her hand with the one that was attached to the arm draped around her. “No. Because you wanted to show off your bike. They’re not going to be impressed by it, I tell you.”

“Like you?”

“I still don’t want you riding that bike. It’s dangerous.”

“I know, you were so mad when I got it.”

“Because I thought you were going to get a ‘ **bike** ’; the ones that you pedal? Those are way safer and far more economic than a motorcycle.” She clicked her tongue in irritation, getting tired of having had the same argument for over three months now since he’d gotten that bike.

Kuroo balked. “And what would I have done with my leather jacket? You seriously don’t expect me to wear the jacket with an actual bike? That would just look stupid.”

“So it **was** about the jacket. You got a motorcycle and made me believe that you were getting a bicycle because you wanted to look cool with you jacket? _Aiya,_ Tetsurō.” The (h/c) haired girl shook her head in disappointment.

“You know, if business school doesn’t work out, you can always go to art school and constantly name your pieces after me. Like: _Disappointed (Y/n),_ or _Eternal Displeasure with Tetsurō_ , or maybe even _Kuroo (Y/n)’s Frustrating Husband_ \- oh wait, wait, _Kuroo Tetsurō: always disappointing his wife_.” As he said that, his free hand kept waving around flamboyantly, as if him talking so casually about getting married hadn’t made him flinch just a year ago.

A laugh escaped from (Y/n)’s lips, and she leaned in to snuggle up to him— wrapping her left arm around his waist while her right hand was still laced with his. “You know that I can’t paint or even draw to save my life.”

“But it’s art.” Kuroo answered with finality in his tone. “No one person can define what’s beautiful and what’s not. Your stick figure people could be a work of art to one man and complete trash to another; what matters is what you think.”

She wanted to ask what brought the sudden epiphany about art on, but she held her tongue so as not to make him feel like she wasn’t awed, but moved to tease him instead— like she had usually been doing when he got too melancholy on her; it was her way of cheering him up. “Is this what university’s doing to you, Tetsu? I have to admit that it’s hot. I never had a thing for scholars or university boys before, but now…”

“You don’t have a thing for scholars; it’s me that you have a thing for,” He stated matter-of-factly with a roll of his eyes.

“You’re not wrong-”

He cut her off. “If you say that I’m not right either, I will lose it.”

“I’m just saying. You always get so mean when I talk about liking other people,” (Y/n) mused with a small pout on her lips. “Can I not have a type?”

“I’m your type; that’s final. If anyone asks what’s your type, just tell them: Kuroo Tetsurō is my type.”

“Careful with that ego, your head might tip over.” At that, (Y/n) laughed— she was having whiplash with the turns that their conversation kept taking, but it was always like this with Kuroo; there was never a dull moment, even when there was, he always managed to make that dull moment into a fun one. “Tell them as if I expect them to know who Kuroo Tetsurō is. Oh gods. I might as well say goodbye to making new friends at university.”

“Do girls really talk about that sort of thing? Types and all that?” He asked, genuinely curious.

“Well, I’m not sure about other girls, but most of the girls at the literature club almost always asked me what when we first met.”

“And what did you say?”

“Someone who was tall boys with dark hair, and light-colored eyes, of course. Smart and very athletic; you know, the generic answer to that question.”

“So I’m a generic type?”

“Oh no,” (Y/n) shook her head with a teasing smirk on her lips. “It takes a special kind of woman to like you- let alone love you.”

“And that would be?”

“Me, of course.”

Kuroo knocked is forehead gently against her temple, before pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Now who has a big ego?”

“Still you. If Sigmund Freud were still alive, he would have a field day with you.”

The conversation ceased after that, since they were already at the gym, and (Y/n) had to untangle herself from her lover to change her shoes with the pair that she had in her bag, while Kuroo slipped his own shoes off and entered the gym after his fiancée.

“Oh, you’re early, Lev,” the (h/c) haired girl commented chirpily as she waved at the middle blocker.

The half-Russian looked up from his seat on the floor— mouth dropping open as he scrambled up excitedly and ran up to Kuroo. “Captain!”

“ _Oi_ , Lev! You look like you’re going to cry!” Kuroo yelped when his former team mate wrapped his arms around him; and he pushed the taller player away. “Stop hugging me, Lev. You’re acting like I died!”

The first years on the team all looked over at the scene, which had (Y/n) smiling at them and beckoning them over. Once the four first years were in a semi-circle around her, she began, “I know everyone keeps talking about Kuroo- _san_ and how amazing it was to have him as a captain— even Yamamoto won’t shut up about him— so I brought him along to help out with club activities today.”

“What do you mean ‘I’ll be helping’? I’m hardly dressed to play, (Y/n).” Kuroo asked aloud when he finally got Lev to let go of him. 

“You always underestimate me.” The (h/c) haired girl crossed her arms and shook her head at him. “When you told me that you wanted to take me to Nekoma, while I was getting ready, I texted Kenma to ask your grandmother for your volleyball gear.”

It was regrettable, but he had stopped playing the sport since he started university— telling (Y/n) that he wanted to focus on his studies, even though she could tell that he missed the sport so much. To keep fit, he would go to the gym during his free time— or have lots of sex with (Y/n) when she came over; either one was enough to keep his body moving.

“I knew I was marrying you for a reason,” Kuroo joked.

The first years’ eyes darted back and forth between (Y/n) and Kuroo, which prompted her to answer their silent questions. “The rumors about me being engaged are true as well. I’m getting married to him.”

“Yeah, she’s taken.” Nekoma’s former volleyball captain stated with pride, jabbing a thumb at himself as he moved to stand beside (Y/n). “So back off.”

(Y/n) clicked her tongue in irritation before pinching her fiancé’s side. “Tetsurō! That’s just rude.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three more chapters. Oh gods.  
> I already have the epilogue written out and it's hella cute, in my opinion.  
> But I skipped out on writing chapter 42 because I don't have any idea what to write for it as a good closer to the story. The epilogue is just this one big closer, I know, but like something good that's supposed to happen on 42. My mind is so filled up with Suga's story already, it's not funny anymore. :<


	41. Love of My Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your support, guys! <3

Even if Kuroo hadn’t played volleyball in months, it was still as if he had never left— his body was still so in tune to moving inside the court that it amazed even himself. The first years were so in-awe at his skills that he couldn’t help but show off, while (Y/n) rolled her eyes at his childish antics.

(Y/n) blew her whistle, signaling the end of the game between the members of the club, before she climbed down from the referee’s stand so she could go to the outdoor fountains to refill the bottles that needed to be refilled. She slowly made her way around the gym, asking if anyone needed any more water and collecting their bottles in a basket when they said yes.

With one last glance at Kuroo who was talking to Kenma— who was made the new captain of the team despite his protests— she made her way out of the gym. 

The sun was already setting—casting a soft orange glow to everything that the rays touched— while the air was slowly starting to get cold, as more leaves fell from the trees.  She took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, then expelled it in one strong sigh; effectively easing her mind of all her current worries like: university entrance exams, Kuroo’s recent suggestions of filing a marriage certificate so that she wouldn’t have to worry about being covered by his medical insurance and other things that made perfect sense… 

**And Kuroo’s adamant demands that they get a dog.**

That wouldn’t have been a problem if both of them weren’t going to be busy with university, but they **were** , so it was out of the question. Dogs were like babies; they needed too much love and attention— and that was why Kuroo wanted one. He was trying to fill that void that their unborn child had left, but (Y/n) just wasn’t ready for such a responsibility; not when she already made up her mind to finish her studies first, even if it meant that she was going to have a harder time conceiving when they actually tried to start a family. 

Still, filing a marriage certificate sounded reasonable— she would be covered by his medical insurance, they could lease an apartment together without the additional paperwork, she wouldn’t have to request for so many name changes to her IDs since she hadn’t availed of most of them yet, and a multitude of other seemingly-unimportant things now that would matter in the future, like bank accounts and such.

She had been absentmindedly walking while so deep in her thoughts that she didn’t realize that she had already walked past the fountains and was standing in in front of the second building— the very same building that the literature club had claimed a classroom at. She had to admit that she missed the rapport between herself and her club members, but she much preferred to be in the volleyball club’s company because they were much nicer and funnier than the people who were at her old club.

“You know you’re still welcome to come back.” (Y/n) practically jumped out of her skin when Yuri’s familiar voice reached her ears.

Her gaze immediately darted to her cousin, who was coming in from her left— probably because she had entered through the west entrance to the school. She clutched the basket tighter in her hands and shook her head. “I’m happy where I am, but thanks.” 

(Y/n) was about to turn on her heel, when Yuri called out to her— which made her freeze on the spot. “(Y/n), I’m sorry… about what happened with your… baby.”

“Don’t be. You didn’t wish for it or anything,” the (h/c) haired girl answered as softly as she could, before sending her cousin a small smile. “It would’ve been nice if you were there to talk me through it, though.”

“I know. I should have- but…”

“I understand.”

“No. I didn’t think that you wanted to see me— not after the things I said.” 

“At first I didn’t, but Tetsurō kept telling me stories about you; he gossips like an old woman, I swear.” She giggled at that, and let it simmer down to a subtle quirk of her lips. “And I began to realize that I miss hanging out with you.” 

“You seem so happy with him, though.” Yuri quirked an eyebrow at her cousin, unsurely running a hand through her hair to slick it back in its usual style.

“I am, but I miss you as well. I’ll be going first, then- I still have to refill these,” (Y/n) bid with a small wave, pivoting on her heel and slowly walking back towards the water fountains.

“Wait! (Y/n)! I- I’m seeing someone now.” 

The (h/c) haired girl looked over her shoulder and grinned. “I know. Tetsurō told me. She’s in his Biology class. I’m happy for you, Yuri- _chan_ , and I hope that she can make you as happy as Tetsurō makes me.”

“I don’t know for sure yet, but I think she will.” The purple haired girl answered hesitantly, then added, “Can we… can we talk about it over coffee?”

“Okay. Tomorrow afternoon, then? At our usual place?”

“Yeah. Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”

With that, the two of them nodded at each other before going their separate ways— with Yuri darting into the second building, and (Y/n) heading to the fountains; both of them sporting smiles on their faces. 

Once at the fountains, (Y/n) instantly got to working on the water bottles in the basket— washing them and filling them up with water while humming quietly to herself. She was so immersed in her task that she didn’t even hear the sound of footsteps coming up behind her, nor did she notice the tall shadow looming over her— until large hands were cupping her breasts from behind and pulling her back against a warm and very familiar body. 

“Tetsu! _Baka_!” She screeched, taking the half-filled bottle in her hands away from the tap and chucking the contents over her shoulder; effectively splashing it against Kuroo’s face— and most of her jacket. He yelled at how cold it was, before unlatching himself from (Y/n) to whip his soaked shirt off.

“Was that necessary?” Kuroo whined as he narrowed his eyes at his fiancée. 

She turned the faucet off and turned to face him with her own glare turned up high. He took a step back in fear. “You should be asking yourself that. And to think that-”

(Y/n) was cut off by Kuroo’s wet shirt landing squarely on her face, which had her practically steaming at the ears from so much irritation. She didn’t say anything more, just took the shirt that was hanging from her face and chucked it back at her lover. 

“I was aiming for the sink, I swear!” Kuroo pleaded, close to getting on his knees to beg her for forgiveness. 

Silence. 

“I’m sorry, (Y/n)— love of my life.” 

“To think that I was going to say yes.” 

That put a stop to the imminent slew of apologies on the tip of Kuroo’s tongue. “Yes? To wh- **to finally getting married**!? Ah, I fucked up. Please, (Y/n). I’m sorry. Come on, I think the registry’s still open— we can file it today.” 

Most guys would be running away at even the smallest thought of getting tied down to one woman for the rest of his life, but not Kuroo. He used to be so against the idea of marrying her, but time had done its part in making him embrace the idea of it instead of resenting it; which made (Y/n) very happy, yet she was still suspicious because she knew her fiancée wouldn’t wholeheartedly decide on something like that if he didn’t have an ulterior motive.

She had given up on finding out what his motive was when he proposed the idea two months ago— there was just no possibility that he would cave and tell her what had brought the ideas of marriage on. But this was her chance, and she wasn’t above using cheap tactics to get what she wanted from him.

“We can do it next week.” Kuroo perked up at that— his face looking so bright and animated that (Y/n) had to force herself to keep her lips in a taut line to show how serious she was. “If you tell me what brought this on.” 

A blush crawled up Kuroo’s neck and eventually settled on his cheeks, and he looked away from his fiancée to keep her from seeing the embarrassed look in his eyes. He didn’t want to admit something so sappy to her, but he had to if he wanted to file that damn marriage registration form that had been resting on the bottom of his sock drawer, since he first got it four months ago. 

He had been thinking about it for a long time, but had only gotten the courage to ask (Y/n) during her last visit in September. She had told him that it was still too early, but that she would think about it— so that was fine with him. Besides, there was no use in dragging out their engagement even further when marriage was going to be the end result anyway, so they might as well get it done with while they still hadn’t gotten most of their government-issued IDs; it would save them so much time in the future.

“Because I want everyone to know that you’re mine when you introduce yourself to them.” His words were barely perceptible to even his own ears, so (Y/n) cupped a hand to the back of her ear and leaned closer to Kuroo.

“Can you say that a little louder? I didn’t quite get that.” 

The raven-haired male rolled his eyes before taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, then answered in a louder voice, “Because I want everyone at your university to know that you’re mine when you introduce yourself.” 

“You possessive little-” (Y/n) reared her hand back to throw the bottle at him, but he raised his hands up to cover himself— which brought her attention to his rippling muscles; making her freeze and stare at the rivulets of water rolling down his smooth skin. It suddenly felt so hot even with the wind whipping around them.

“No, no! Not the face, (Y/n)! I’m sorry! I just don’t want guys looking at you all the time— I want them to know that you have a husband waiting for you at home, since I can’t be there to keep them away.”

“What makes you think that I’m not qualified enough to go to _Todai_?”

“Uhhh…” He lowered his arms and put his hands on his hips— which made his muscles ripple with every movement. The back of (y/n)’s neck was so uncomfortably warm at that moment. 

“Don’t you dare say that I’m not smart enough for _Todai_ , or you’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight.” 

“I wasn’t. Even if you went there, we’ll be in different departments— different buildings; we’ll even have different schedules,” Kuroo muttered with a pout, looking down at his shoes for a brief second, before staring straight at (Y/n). “You’re smart enough to go to any of the universities in Japan, and I’m afraid that every single one of the people who go there will see how amazing you are and try to take you away— reasoning that they still can since we’re not married yet. I trust you, but I don’t trust anyone else to not fall in love with you. That’s my main reason.”

(Y/n) was taken aback by his answer— not only because he had been so honest with her, but also because he admitted to such a vulnerability in him that she had never even thought he was carrying. It was never a secret to her how much she really meant to Kuroo— since he never failed to remind her each and every day— but she never knew that it was to the point that he had put her on a pedestal that she wasn’t sure she even fit in. He had made her seem like this perfect person that everyone fell head over heels for… when she was far from that in real life. 

It touched something deep inside her that made her chest tighten with so much emotion— and she reached up to rub at the sore spot above her heart.

“You really are the love of my life, (Y/n).”

“Come here, you big sap.” She whispered, voice thick with unshed tears, as she set the bottle down on the lip of the sink and opened her arms for him.

With a grin, Kuroo closed the handful of steps between them and engulfed her in a warm hug. “So, what about me? Am I not the love of your life?” He teased. 

“You’re the **only** one that I’ve ever loved, Tetsurō.”

He grinned at that, and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. “Is that enough to get a dog?” 

Deliberately, (Y/n) dug her nails into her fiancée’s back and only lightened her grip when he whimpered quietly. “Don’t push your luck. It’s either we get married or we get a dog.” 

“I choose the dog. Hands down.” He laughed, and pulled away from the hug before (Y/n) could get her hands on him. “I’m kidding. Let’s get married next week, okay?”

“Okay.” 

“Oh, and (Y/n),” he called her attention once more, and she quirked an eyebrow at him to let him know that she was listening. “I can’t give you the ceremony that you deserve now, but someday I’ll make your dream wedding come true.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh the next one will be the last chapter for the story, and then the Epilogue. I'm so sad. :<  
> I've been reading some earlier chapters and even I'm amazed at how they've changed. I'm so happy that I finished this story, because I thought that this was only going to be a way for me to cope after my surgery.  
> Yeah, I got the idea two days after my surgery when I remembered that I woke up during the middle of it, and that I saw things so clearly even though I was under so much anesthesia.  
> I'm so happy that you guys read this and I hope that you'll read the next story as well. I have many great ideas for Suga's story.  
> Thank you! <3


	42. Retrouvailles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, this is it. The last one before the epilogue.  
> I don't know what to say... except...  
> I just want to thank everyone for the overwhelming support on this story. It really means a lot to me.

“Hey, sorry I’m late. I had to drop by Tetsurō’s apartment to get my wallet,” (Y/n) greeted breathlessly, as she pulled out a chair adjacent from Yuri and plopped down on it. “I hope you weren’t waiting that long.”

Yuri shook her head and sent her cousin a small smile. “It’s fine. I just got here, like, 10 minutes ago. 

Silence blanketed over the two, until a waitress approached their table and handed them menus— which they gently refused because they already knew what they wanted. They had been coming to this café since it first opened six years ago, and they practically knew the menu by heart. “We’ll have two caramel lattes, both with soy milk, no whipped cream, please.”

Both Yuri and (Y/n) stared at each other in mild surprise before bursting out into giggles. After a year of barely acknowledging each other’s existence, they were still so in-tune with each other. It was good to know that one thing between them didn’t change.

“Also, I’ll have a croissant, please,” (Y/n) added with a smile towards the waitress— who smiled back at her and asked them if they wanted anymore things before making her leave.

Yuri propped her arm up on the table and rested her cheek in her hand. “The croissant’s a new thing— usually, you get a crêpe.”

“Tetsurō gets mad when I call him at night because I ate too much sugar during the day, so I’m trying to avoid too much sugary things.”

“And you two seem very domestic…” the comment wasn’t said with any malice, just blatant observation— which soothed some of (Y/n)’s frazzled nerves. “Quite the 180 from last year.”

“Well, we’ve worked some things out between us and it’s paying off. What about you, though? How’s things going with… I think Tetsu told me that her name’s Mara- _chan_?”

The purple-haired girl nodded. “It was difficult for me at first, because… well… I couldn’t let my old feelings go. Then, she talked to me about how she was going to help me let go of my old feelings, so now we’re working on it; but everything’s good so far. I really think that Mara and I have a lot potential.”

“I’m glad that you found someone, Yuri. And I’m… sorry.”

“It’s not your fault; you never asked for my feelings in the first place. I should be the one who’s sorry, because I took my anger out on you two and even got both of you suspended.”

“That’s all in the past now. Tetsurō wants to thank you for that, though, because it makes him sound cool when he tells people that he was suspended in high school.” (Y/n) smiled, turning her head so that she could look outside the picture windows and observe the people that were milling about. “It makes me wonder what people will think of me at university.”

“You’re quiet around others, but you’re a very likeable person, (Y/n).” Her cousin assured her, looking up at their waitress from earlier and thanking her when she set down their orders. (Y/n) looked away from people watching and smiled at the girl one more time before she left. “See, you’re always all-smiles at everyone.”

“Because it doesn’t cost anything to smile at someone.” The (h/c) haired girl answered flippantly as she reached out to take her mug of latte before taking a sip.

Another bout of silence fell over them as they quietly sipped on their drinks— with (y/n) alternating between taking a sip of her drink and picking her croissant apart and eating the small pieces.

(Y/n) didn’t know if she should tell her cousin about her impending marriage at that moment, but what she was sure about was that Yuri had to hear it from her— not her mom, nor their aunts, or anyone else in their family, but from the source herself. “I’m getting married on Friday.”

She could see that her statement had stumped Yuri, but she decided to continue before the pain that she could see in those green eyes could swallow them in their depths and drown her in guilt. “It’s fine if you don’t want to go to the registration office with us, but I would really like it if you were there. Kenma’s going to be there as well, so you don’t have to talk to Tetsurō if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t even talk to Kozume- _san_ , (Y/n).”  
  
“I- oh, right. Sorry, I-” 

The purple-haired girl across from her cut her off from her panicked tirade, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “But I’ll go if you want me to be there.”

It was as if a huge thorn was taken out of (Y/n)’s heart, and all the tension in her shoulders melted away at her cousin’s words. Maybe they weren’t going to be as close as they used to be, but being on talking terms was better than not acknowledging each other at all. Even though she looked unfazed by her falling out with Yuri, she had been constantly bothered by it on the inside— she just couldn’t push her out of her life; not after growing up together and being through so much— besides, they couldn’t avoid being at the same family reunion forever.

“Thanks, Yuri. Oh, and… I missed you.”

“I missed you, too, (Y/n).”  
  


***  
  


“Shouldn’t you be studying for your exams?” Kuroo’s voice flooded into (Y/n)’s ears— tuning out the sound of the rain pelting against the roof.

She snuggled further into her pillows and readjusted the manga in her hand. “But I want to know what’s going to happen to Tsukushi and Tsukasa. Will they end up together or what?”

“Of course they’re going to end up together. Everyone knows that they end up together in the end,” Kuroo snapped, then sighed— which made (Y/n) laugh. He was getting so worked up over nothing again.

“I already studied, Tetsurō- _sama_ — he who likes to control everything around him.” She teased.

“I do not.”

“ _Mm_ , you don’t. I was only joking.” She grinned when he sighed again. “But really, Tetsu, you should take a break once in a while; talking to me while you make a reviewer isn’t a break. Have you even eaten dinner yet?”

Over on Kuroo’s side, he set down the pen that he had been writing with for the better part of an hour, and readjusted the earphones in his ears. “I did.”

“What did you have?” (Y/n)’s voice sounded so suspicious already— as if she knew that he had nothing but a cup of instant ramen to eat. He hated the stuff, but he didn’t have a choice because he would rather use the time that he would have used to cook a decent meal to study— that had been his harsh reality since he had entered university, and he half wished that he could just fast forward time so that he could skip all the gruelling parts.

Then again, the gruelling parts were what made life worth living, so another part of him wanted to relish in these moments because they were going to make for good stories to tell his kids someday.

“I told you that I was going to make you ready-made meals that you can just heat up in the microwave.” (Y/n) scolded gently, her voice taking on an agitated tone before mellowing out with worry. “I’m coming by tomorrow so I can make dinner for you— there’s no club activities tomorrow, anyway.”

“No, let’s just do it on Sunday— you know, as our first husband and wife task.”

His words sent a blush crawling up her cheeks, as a flustered smile pulled up at the corners of her lips. “Why Sunday?" 

“Well, let’s see… on Friday we’re getting married— so you have to skip school for that.” He chuckled at the memory of the last time they had skipped school; it was to celebrate his birthday, and it was the best present that he had ever received. “And Saturday is going to be spent having sex all day-”

(Y/n)’s eyes widened at the flippant words, before she burst out laughing. “Are you trying to do me in?”

“I’m trying to **do you in** , if you know what I mean.” She could just see the salacious grin on her fiancé’s face. She wanted to smack him at that moment because that pun was uncalled for.

(Y/n) was about to put an end to his incessant laughter when her phone buzzed from under her pillow, so she closed the manga in her right hand and laid it on top of her stomach, before fishing for her phone. Her heart raced in her chest when she saw that Sugawara had finally replied to her text earlier.

> _Hey, (Y/n). Sorry if I replied so late. My classes just ended. What’s up?_

“Tetsu,” she called softly and, almost instantly, Kuroo’s laughter stopped. He hummed, and she took that as a sign for her to continue. “How should I tell Kōshi about Friday?” 

“Just how many people are you inviting to the ward office?” He teased, though he didn’t particularly want Sugawara to be there— nor did he want Yuri there, but his fiancée wanted them to at least attend their very small celebration, so he had no choice but to suck it up.

“I know that we can only have two witnesses and that our parents have to be there, but I want him to, at least, know about it. If this is about you being jealous again, I swear to the gods, Tetsurō.”

Kuroo sighed, running a hand over his face as he thought of how to say it to his fiancée without sugarcoating it too much. She hated it when he sugarcoated things with her. “It’s about **his** feelings. He wanted to be friends, but he can’t stop loving you just like that— if it were me, I don’t think I would ever stop; and to find out that the girl you love is getting married to a no-good scumbag who took years before he realized his feelings for her?”

(Y/n) understood his logic, she really did, but he didn’t know Sugawara like she did— he would want to know, even if it was a hard pill to swallow. “First of all, don’t call yourself a ‘no-good scumbag’, because you’re better than that— you’re just a sleazebag-” 

“Wow, thank you for not holding back your love and support, dearest love of my life.” Kuroo deadpanned, even as a smile tugged on the corners of his lips.

She giggled, then remained quiet for a minute or so as she got her thoughts back on track. “If you were in his place, would you want to know through me or through someone else after it happened?”

“I’d rather you tell me— but we’re two different people, (Y/n). He’s…”

“You should give Kōshi more credit. I’m just going to tell him.”

“Then just tell him outright.”

And then, it dawned on (Y/n)… “You did that on purpose. Sometimes the fact that you can be so sly amazes me.”

“You would just keep second-guessing yourself if I didn’t goad it out of you.” Kuroo smirked, and once again picked up his pen and resumed writing his reviewer for his exams; while (Y/n) pulled up the messages on her phone so that she could reply to Sugawara.

She didn’t want to just spring outright on him, and she knew that was she was going to do was so underhanded that it made her hesitate for a minute, but she pushed past her trepidation before she typed out her reply and sent it before she could change her mind.

> _Are you free on Friday?_

“I just asked him if he’s free on Friday. How do you unsend a message?” (Y/n) panicked, gripping her phone tighter and looking for any option to take back what she sent, even if she knew that it was useless. “You think he would believe it if I told him that it was meant for you?”

“Oh, so that time that you said your reply was for Yuri… you really couldn’t wait to have my-" 

“Can we not talk about that now?” She practically screeched— both in mortification because she’d just admitted to her evasion tactic, and also because of the overwhelming feelings that coursed through her as she waited for Sugawara’s reply.

> _No, sorry. It’s my free day, but I’m going out with my… non-girlfriend? Why? Maybe we can hang out on Saturday?_

“He has a girlfriend!”

“Why do you sound sad about it?” Kuroo pouted.

Contrary to the disbelieving tone she had used before, (Y/n) sighed and laughed, “I’m not. I’m actually relieved. Oh gods. Should I ask him about it now? I want to know who she is, but at the same time I don’t want to get too off-track.”

_Non-girlfriend?_ She typed down and let her thumbs hover over the keyboard, as she waited for Kuroo’s response.

“Just call him, then call me back after you’re done talking.”

“This is new.” (Y/n) teased. “Are you sure that you’re fine with me calling Kōshi? I know how much you like to hover. I sort of expected you to suggest that I just add him to our call.”

It really wasn’t fine for Kuroo, but what choice did he have? He wanted this to stop bothering (Y/n), so he just had to trust that Sugawara wouldn’t say anything that would make her change her doubt her decision about the wedding. “It’s fine.”

“You know that it will only ever be you for me, right, Tetsu? No one can ever change that.” She reassured her fiancé, before erasing her previous message and replacing it with…

> _Can I call?_

Not even half a minute later, Suga’s reply popped up.

> _Yeah_.

Kuroo felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest with how fast it was beating. They had been together for more than a year, yet her words still did all kinds of things to him— they killed him yet made him feel so alive at the same time; it was so unexplainable.

“I know, (Y/n).” The raven-haired male whispered thickly, then cleared his throat to ease the tightness that he felt there. “I love you so much— more than anything in this world— so, I’m sorry if I don’t always say it.”

“You are such a sap, but I love you, too. I’ll call you later, okay?” 

“Yeah. Don’t take too long with him.”

“Tetsu.”

“Fine. You have five minutes. Just call him, say it, then drop the call.”

“ _Tsk_.” 

Kuroo laughed, and then paused while in the midst of a particularly long sentence. “Okay, take all the time you need. I love you, _hime-sama_.”

“That’s nice. Thanks.” (Y/n) answered teasingly, which made her fiancé groan in irritation. Then, she amended herself, “I love you, too. Call you later.”

“Yeah.” With that, both of them dropped the call— with Kuroo turning back to his reviewer and (Y/n) staring intently at her phone as she dialed Sugawara’s number.

“Hey, (Y/n)- _chan_.” His soft voice held a melodic lilt to it that made her smile involuntarily. His cheerfulness was just that infectious. “What’s up?”

“So, who’s this non-girlfriend of yours? And why is she your **non** -girlfriend?”

“ _Eh_ … it’s a really long story, but we agreed to take things slowly— and because she’s… err… Daichi’s sister— half-sister, really, but still his sister.”

(Y/n)’s eyes widened at his admission, as more curious questions bombarded her mind. “Does Daichi- _san_ know? How did it happen? Oh gods, Kōshi.”

“I’ll tell you when we see each other. I’m just going around Tokyo— studying my butt off and wishing for a proper vacation, so I can go back home and smell the fresh air…. and see the stars clearly.”

His words made her smile, and she closed her eyes as she let herself be brought back to the memory of that summer that they had met. She was seven and he was eight and a half— yet he still liked to tell everyone that he was nine. He had so many big dreams that he kept telling her, like going to Tokyo for university, getting started on taking care of a cactus, and so many more things that she couldn’t even remember.

Sugawara had been her best friend for that summer, and for all the summers after that— until  (Y/n) had become too busy with her own things and had skipped on going to her grandparents’ home four years ago. Gradually, their communication ceased until it was just the occasional greeting that popped up in their inboxes.

“Remember that time when we talked about who we were going to marry someday? I always wanted it to be you, (Y/n)…” Suga trailed off, and (Y/n)’s eyes snapped open at his admission. She was about to cut in when he picked up where he left off, “But now, I realize that it was just puppy love. I never would have realized that if she didn’t make me love her so much— to the point that she’s the only one that I can see myself growing old with. So, don’t feel bad for me, _ne_?”

(Y/n) nodded slowly, until she realized that he couldn’t see her, so she spoke up, “Okay, I won’t.”

“Good,” Suga teased lightly, and ran a hand through his hair in an effort to calm his frazzled nerves.

(Y/n) didn’t know if she should tell him, but she took a deep breath and admitted the words that had been bothering her all day. “I’m getting married on Friday.”

Silence, and then, “I figured as much. I was trying to give you your opening back there.”

“Am I really that easy to read?”

“If the person knows you well enough, then yes.” He chuckled. “Congratulations, (Y/n). I wish I could be there, but I already made a commitment to go out on Friday.”

“It’s okay, I just wanted you to hear it from me, at the very least.”

“Thank you.” The statement was said with such tenderness that it made her smile even as she held back her tears. She didn’t want to cry. “I’m really happy for you, (Y/n).”

She felt like she was back under that sky— laying down on the grass next to Kōshi and just talking about everything and anything that they were thinking about. Her face would hurt from smiling too much, and her clothes would always be so dirty when she got home, but she didn’t care; talking to Kōshi always made her happy, because he always knew what to say to cheer her up— not to the degree that Kuroo could now, but that was enough for her back then.

It was like she was five all over again and just finding out that there was a life outside of Miyagi, away from her grandparents and everything that she grew up to know; she was excited, sad, scared, happy, and every other spectrum of emotion in between at the same time.

“But (Y/n), I can feel that you’re really happy right now— like you were when we were younger; maybe even happier.” Suga whispered, effectively bringing her out of her thoughts.

“To be honest with you, I feel like I’m meeting my old again after such a long time apart, Kōshi. It’s hard to believe that there was a time when I was this happy and carefree, because it’s really been so long…” (Y/n) admitted quietly— honestly.

She expected him to laugh, or maybe even chuckle to lighten the mood, but he just hummed in agreement. “I just learned the perfect word for that in class last week. I think they call it  _retrouvailles_.”  
  


***

 

“So, how did it go with Suga- _chan_?” Kuroo greeted after he answered (Y/n)’s call. He, once again, set down the pen in his hand. He seriously needed a break, but he still had three more handouts to summarize into his reviewer.

“I told him the truth, and he says congratulations. And he told me that I seem to be happier now than I was before…” (Y/n) trailed off, sitting upright in her bed and throwing her blanket off her legs.

He was half afraid and half excited to know her answer to that, so he pushed back his trepidations and asked, “Are you?”

A bout of silence stretched between the two of them, and Kuroo felt himself starting to panic. What if he had asked the wrong question? What if he had started something that he hadn’t meant to ever set rolling? He couldn’t even bear the thought of losing her. “(Y/n)? Are you?”

“Of course I am. I’m happiest when I’m with you— I’ve told you this already. I should be the one asking, though: are you happy?”

“With you? More than I could ever say, (Y/n).” With that, his mind was made up. He pushed away from his table and grabbed his jacket from where it hung in his closet— quickly slipping it on and marching towards the front door. He patted his pockets to look for his wallet and quickly went back for it in his room. “I’m coming to see you right now.”

More impatient than ever to see her, he resumed his path to the door and slipped his shoes on.

“ _Eh_!? But don’t you have to study? You were even razzing me about it earlier.” His fiancée quipped, but he just shrugged it off as he grabbed the keys for the apartment and his motorbike, as well as his helmet from the table by the door.

“You’re making me miss you, so now I want to see you— and maybe cuddle until I have to go back."

She giggled. “Well, if you want to.”

“Wait for me, okay?” 

“I will. Forever and a day as long as I get to see you.”

Kuroo grinned as he locked the door behind him. “Now who’s the sappy one?”

“Still you, Tetsu.”

“You’re insufferable.” He commented idly, pocketing his keys and jogging down the hall to get to the elevator.

“You love me.”

“Damn right I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have the epilogue done by tomorrow. I'm trying to make it special so it requires extensive research to be accurate. UwU  
> Also, my Suga fanfic will be up sometime next week? Around Friday or so? If anyone wants to read that.  
> Your comments and kudos mean so much. <3


	43. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, this is it. This is why I don't like finishing a story: because I always feel so sad. Then again, I feel like I actually accomplished something so, it's a bittersweet feeling.  
> Oh well. I hope you guys have enjoyed the past few weeks with me while I wrote this down.  
> Thank you so much for the support! All the comments, kudos, bookmarks! Everything! It means so much to me. <3

“Are you sure that you’re going to be fine with the boys?” (Y/n) called from the foyer of their apartment, checking herself out in the mirror one last time to make sure that she looked impeccable for her meeting with one of her company’s top clients. Doing mergers with other hotel groups really were a pain in the butt. 

“Shio and Koshō are going to be fine with me. How can they not be? I made them,” Kuroo answered with a laugh as he exited the kitchen with his twin sons—at 3 years-old— in his arms; both of them clinging to his shoulders while giggling. “Look at them. I’ll guard them with my life, (Y/n). My boys are so adorable, aren’t you two? You two used to live in my balls— it’s so unbelievable.”

“Yoshio, Koichi, be good for your papa, okay?” (Y/n) bid reluctantly, slipping her shoes off so that she could walk towards her babies and press kisses to their cheeks. The boys nodded with an enthusiastic chorus of, ‘ _Yes, mama’_. “And don’t take your eyes off of them, Tetsurō. Hold their hands at all times, especially when you’re at the market.”

Her brows were furrowed together with worry, and a little bit of irritation because her husband kept insisting to call their children **salt** and **pepper**. She really regretted letting him choose their names, as he chose them specifically so he could call them by their nicknames.

“I promise, (Y/n). We’re just going to the zoo, and then we’ll pick up a few things at the market— no big deal.”

“If anything comes up, call me.”

“I will, now go. You’ll be late for your meeting.” Kuroo pointed at the door with his lips, before grinning at his wife and leaning down to press a kiss to her lips. “You’re going to do amazing today. I love you.”  
  
“Good luck charms for my babies,” (Y/n) cooed at her children before pulling on Kuroo’s arm so that he would lean down. When he did, she stood on her toes and pressed kisses to their foreheads. The twins grinned at their mother before trapping her in a hug.  “You are making it so hard to leave right now." 

“Then go with us, mama.” Yoshio piped up with a toothy grin that had his father widening his eyes at him in warning. The patriarch had plans for today that he didn’t want his wife getting involved in until the time was right, so he had no choice but to trust that his children wouldn’t force their mother to come along.

She looked like she was considering it, but Tetsurō intervened. “Mama has a very important business meeting today, so it won’t be good if she’s not there.”

“Ah, your papa’s right.” The (h/c) haired woman smiled up at her husband, patting his chest lightly then trailing her hand up to cup his cheek before adding, “I love you. I’ll be going now.”

“ _Mm_. Text me when you get there so I know you’re safe.”

“I will. Be careful today, okay?” With that, the (h/c) haired girl slipped her high-heeled shoes back on before reluctantly walking out the door— waving one last time at her small family before closing the door behind her.

Once the lock clicked into place, Kuroo looked down at his boys and grinned at them. When they returned his grin, he was dumbstruck for a couple of seconds, because it amazed him how they could look so much like him with (Y/n)’s eyes— even their hair easily stuck up in odd spikes when they slept; it wasn’t even funny anymore. They were so perfect in his eyes.  
  
He set the twins down on the floor and they looked up at him— heads tilted to the side as they waited for what he had to say. Taking the day off from working at the lab really was worth it since he could spend it with his kids; it would have been nicer if (Y/n) were there as well, but she had to go to that important meeting at her company— and he had to stop by at the temple so he could ask how exactly he was going to make a surprise wedding work. “Let’s have breakfast first, and then we can do things that we can’t do when your mama’s with us.” 

“ _Uwah_! I want chocolate for breakfast!” Yoshio screeched excitedly before running into the kitchen. “Papa, I want chocolate!”

Meanwhile, Koichi stood by Tetsurō’s legs and reached up to slip his tiny hand into his dad’s big one. “I want fish and rice, papa. Please.”

He had to hold himself back from gushing over his older—by two minutes— son’s request, so he led him into the kitchen and hoisted him up to sit beside his brother— whom was already in his high chair. Sometimes he swore that Yoshio was part monkey with the way that he ran around and climbed over things with such ease.

“Shio, you can’t have chocolate this early— but later when we go out we’ll get some, okay? So, choose something else.” Kuroo tried to sound stern, only to falter into a gentler voice when he saw his younger son’s crestfallen expression.

“ _Nii-chan_ , what are you having?” Yoshio turned to his brother and tapped his twin’s arm repeatedly.

Koichi, thankfully, wasn’t feeling overly sensitive that day and ignored his brother’s annoying actions. “Fish and rice, Shio- _chan_.”

“Okay. I’ll have that, too, papa.”

“Shio? We’ve talked about this. You always say what when you ask someone for something?” Kuroo sighed in mild exasperation, because he couldn’t count on both hands and feet just how many times he’d had this discussion with his younger son.  
  
“Sorry, papa. Please?” The little bugger had the audacity to turn his lips down at the corners in a cute little pout that had Tetsurō melting— and when he pulled out the puppy dog eyes, he wanted to hit himself because he suddenly felt like the meanest father in the world. Still, he shook the feeling off and silently blamed his wife of ten years for teaching their sons how to get under his skin. 

“Fine. Just don’t forget it next time.”

With that, Kuroo set off to making breakfast for his sons— being very careful to pick out the fish bones in their meal before he put them in the plate set that (Y/n) had bought specifically for the twins. He filled up two cups with water and set it on the twins’ own tables.  
  


***  
 

Breakfast was such a messy affair that all three of them had to take another shower before they got dressed to go out. Kuroo had made sure to swaddle his kids up in thick coats with a faux fur lining— as well as tiny backpacks that were similar to the one that he donned— and an adorable pair of boots that he had picked up for them on one of his overseas trips. All three of them were matching and it was the most adorable thing that Kuroo had ever seen— not that he would admit that to his wife, because he would never hear the end of it.

“What’s your papa’s name, Koshō?” he asked aloud as he pulled out of the parking lot, checking to see if the boys were doing alright in their car seats. “So you know what to say in case you get lost." 

“Kuroo Tetsurō,” the older of the twins answered brightly, throwing his father a smile that would have been enough to ward even the worst winter chill away.

“How about you, Shio? What’s your papa’s name?”

“Bokuto- _oji-san_.” Shio mumbled, his attention focused on the passing scenery.

Kuroo balked at his son’s answer, and mentally let out a slew of curses towards his friend for corrupting his more gullible son. “No, Shio. It’s Kuroo...?” He waited for him to answer.

Finally, he answered what felt like eternity, and Kuroo sighed in relief. “Tetsurō.”

“Do you have the cards that mama gave you? Are they in your pockets?” He asked once more— pertaining to the identification cards that (Y/n) had had made for the kids, so they could just give those to the police in case they got lost. Both boys reached into their pockets and pulled out a matching pair of laminated ID card that had their parents’ information and their home address on it.

Initially, he had teased (Y/n) about how much of a worrywart she was, but when he lost Shio one time at the grocery store, he understood her worry— he felt like he was going to die if he didn’t find his other son; it was so scary that (Y/n) didn’t even scold him when all three of them got home; him with tear tracks on his face and even more tears welling up in his eyes.

“Is Bokuto- _oji-san_ going to be there?” Shio asked aloud.

Kuroo frowned at his younger son’s obvious fondness for one of the members of Japan’s national volleyball team, but tamped down his disappointment because Shio was prone to idolizing each and every one of his and (Y/n)’s friends that came to visit. Hell, he had been talking non-stop about Sugawara when the man had visited with his girlfriend. “At the zoo? I hope not. I’m gonna feel sorry for all the animals if he does visit them.”

He chuckled at his own joke and turned down the radio so he could hear what the boys were mumbling about. A laugh bubbled from his lips when he realized that they were just making random noises to amuse themselves; they couldn’t have gotten that trait from him, and he was sure that it was from (Y/n).

“Boys,” he called the twins’ attention, and they looked up from whatever had occupied them outside the windows, to turn to him. He looked at them through the rearview mirror once again before saying in a serious tone, “Before we go to the zoo, we’re going to Meiji shrine, okay? But you two are **not** — I repeat **NOT** — allowed to say anything about going to the shrine to your mama. It’s a surprise for her.”

“Like a birthday party, papa?” Shio piped up enthusiastically. “Will there be chocolate cake?”

He had to stifle a chuckle at Shio’s enthusiasm for basically everything— especially when it concerned sweets. He took after (Y/n) in that aspect. “Kind of like that. And if you two are good, there will be chocolate cake. A big one, with three layers.”

“We’ll be good, papa!” Shio exclaimed, throwing his arms up over his head before turning to his brother. “Right, _nii-chan_!? We’ll be good for the cake!?”

Koichi seemed to ponder it for a few seconds before nodding. “We’ll be good for the cake, papa!”

“Not a word of this to your mama, alright? Pinky swear?” He was too old to believe in such promises, but his sons took those kinds of promises so wholeheartedly that it made him so giddy about it— he was excited for the wholesome human beings that they were bound to become.

The boys reached out as far as they could with their right pinkies stuck out, before turning to each other and switching hands to intertwine their pinkies together before reciting an old adage that (Y/n) had taught them.

Sometimes he really wondered which era his wife had grown up in.  
  


***  
 

Two grueling months of planning and preparation behind (Y/n)’s back— and so many excuses of why he couldn’t home early— had passed, and Tetsurō was nervous as all hell. He had put so much time and effort into this elaborate scheme that one wrong move could send it tumbling down like a house of cards. He had even taken the added effort of providing a place to stay for (Y/n)’s grandparents and other extended family members— with Natsumi’s help, of course.

Natsumi had grown up into such a lovely 16 year-old that it made Kuroo so mad when she would talk about boys with him. In his opinion, she was still too young to date— then again, that was a prejudiced opinion because he married (Y/n) when she was 19. She was like a daughter to him, even though he only had 12 years on her— way too young to be her father. 

It seemed that the gods were smiling down on him because the forecast for the year said that the _Sakura_ would be in full bloom on the 7thday of April in Tokyo, so he immediately centered his plan around that day. His wife believed in so many superstitions, so the date being the 7th would be one reason for her to accept his proposal.

“Be good with your _oba-chan_ , alright, boys?” Tetsurō reminded his children as he crouched down and readjusted the nice shirts that they wore— they were going to have to change into mini suits later before the ceremony, and he was thankful to his in-laws for offering to look after the twins.

Everything was a blur to him— one moment he was pacing, and the next he was sitting down while he waited for Yuri to arrive with his wife. Yes, he’d even set aside his differences with his wife’s cousin so that she could help him with his plan. The plan was for her to lure (Y/n) to a salon for the reason of having a little makeover for both of them, and then she would goad (Y/n) into wearing a _furisode_ at the shop across the salon, only to receive a fake urgent call from her company, which will force them to leave without letting (Y/n) change.

It wasn’t the most fool-proof plan that he could think of, but it was the best; because his wife was very intuitive and would know what he was up to had Yuri made her wear a blindfold— like she had suggested. His plan was way better than that woman’s, and they both knew it.

He was so nervous that he felt like he was going to faint. He couldn’t even count the times that he’d readjusted his tie because it seemed like it was choking him.

Another slew of curses was on the tip of his tongue as he paced beneath the _Sakura_ trees. He checked his watch and looked around the area— seeing nothing but strangers mingling a few ways away and enjoying the falling _Sakura_ around them. He was about to get his phone to call Yuri when something pulled him to look up. 

Lo and behold, there was (Y/n) in all her beauty— wearing the red _furisode_ that he had picked out for her a month before. It reminded him so much of the _kimono_ that she had worn to this very shrine 11 years ago, and it made tears well up in his eyes at the memory of it. It might have been a good— and somewhat routine— New Year for her back then, but for him it was something else entirely. Words couldn’t even describe how special that day was to him, as it was the day he realized that he wanted to be with her forever.

Suddenly, the ring in his pocket weighed a ton, and he felt as if his heart was going to leap out of his chest with how hard it was beating.

The moment that she reached him, though, all his nervousness vanished— all his trepidations and fears just went away; there was nothing but her, and only her.

He stretched a hand out to her and she gingerly took it— quirking an eyebrow at him before looking around at the scenic view around them. The confusion in her eyes was very evident, but something inside him knew that deep down inside her, she knew what this was— she knew that it was happening for real this time; a genuine proposal— not one that was handed out to her unceremoniously, and was accepted two months later after groping her.

“What’s all this?” (Y/n) asked softly, even as tears made her eyes glisten. Her voice was even, which was so at odds with the jumbled feelings running through her system.

“This is me giving you everything that you deserve.” His own voice had grown thick with emotion, and he pushed back the tears— trying to concentrate on his breathing until he could get to proposing. After that, he could cry all he wanted— and then cry some more at the wedding ceremony.

He squeezed her right hand tightly before he got down on one knee— wincing a bit because he wasn’t as agile as he used to be, or maybe staying cooped up inside a lab 6 days a week was taking its toll on him, he wasn’t sure.

Slowly, he fished for the ring in his left pocket and held it up— taking another deep breath as he tried to recall what he had practiced countless times in front of the bathroom mirror at their home. His mind totally blanked, though, so he winged it— even stuttering over some words because he was just **that** nervous.

“Kuroo (Y/n), you really are the love of my life— you gave me the world when you agreed to marry me, and then you gave me the entire universe when you gave me not one but two sons. Twelve years is such a long time for some people, but it flew by so quickly for me— it makes me want to come up with the solution for eternal life just so I could spend eternity with you and the little monsters that we have for children.” He swallowed thickly, and took another breath as he blinked his tears away. (Y/n) was full-on crying by the end of the first part of his speech, and she nodded along with him— even sputtering out a giggle at his last remark. 

“We’ve been married for ten of those years, but not one day has gone by that I don’t remember the promise I made to you back then: that I would give you the wedding you deserve. Of course, you deserve a proposal to remember as well— groping you while you washed the team’s sports bottles didn’t quite cut it.” Both of them laughed at the memory, and Tetsurō continued.

“I am thankful for so many reasons, but the thing I’m most thankful for is that you were patient with me— that you allowed me to be in your life even though we both knew that I wasn’t what you needed. I was so dumb and immature for hurting you all those years ago, and no words can describe how sorry I am for hurting the only woman I’d ever loved. I promise, I’m getting to the point.”

(Y/n) playfully rolled her eyes at him and grinned— changing the course of her tears for a brief moment before settling back into their previous path when her mouth rested in a gentle smile. She was feeling all sorts of happy, and there was nothing more that she wanted than to just say yes to her husband’s proposal, but she kept her mouth shut and listened to the rest of his monologue.

“I’m sorry that it took me ten years to do things properly, but you have to agree that it was worth the wait, right?” He teased before turning the mirth down once more. “My point is… (Y/n), will you make me the happiest man on the universe again by marrying me… today? Maybe in two hours?”

“Two hours? I think I can be ready by then.” (Y/n) giggled and nodded. “Of course I’ll marry you again.”

Tetsurō was so tempted to let out a loud whoop of joy at her words, but held himself back because he was still on sacred grounds, so he settled for sliding the engagement ring on the same finger that had the garnet ring that he had given her all those years ago. Even after all this time— even though she had so many prettier and more expensive things to wear, there was never a day that she didn’t have the ring on her finger.

He got up and eyed the plain silver band, with one diamond, on her other finger— her wedding ring— and smiled as he imagined what her reaction would be when she lays her eyes on the much prettier and more elaborate ring that he had gotten for her.

Tetsurō was about to lean in to capture his wife’s lips for a kiss when they heard their children’s familiar voices calling out to them. “Mama! Papa!”

Soon enough, they each had one twin clinging on to them, and both of them simultaneously picked up their sons— sharing a wide grin all the while.

“Did you two know about this?” (Y/n) playfully narrowed her eyes at her sons— both of whom giggled and placed their hands over their mouths.

“We can’t tell you,” Koichi exclaimed through his palm, making his voice sound garbled and almost unintelligible.

“Or else we won’t get the cake that papa promised us,” Yoshio continued, in the same manner that his older brother had delivered the message— which had (Y/n) laughing at her sons’ antics. They couldn’t have gotten such a silly trait from her, so it must have been from Tetsurō.

“Ah, so that’s how you got them to keep a secret— bribery.”

Tetsurō twisted his lips in a pout before sighing. “I had to keep them quiet somehow. But… aren’t you two supposed to be with your _oba-chan_ and both _tou-chan_ s?”

The boys looked at each other before giggling through their hands— which had their parents sighing both in disbelief and mild exasperation. The twins had managed to outwit so many adults once again— they were going to be a force to be reckoned with when they grew up.

“I pity the girls who are going to date you two.” Tetsurō mused with a smirk, then leaned down to press a kiss to Yoshio’s forehead, before doing the same to Koichi who was in (Y/n)’s arms.

“None for me?” (Y/n) asked with a laugh, before tilting her face upwards and closing her eyes as she waited for a kiss.

“There will always be one for you,” her husband answered softly before leaning towards her and claiming her lips in a kiss. He would have pressed for more had their children not balked at their show of affection and demanded to be put down.

Reluctantly, the couple pulled away from each other and set their sons down on the ground— where they then proceeded to try and catch some of the falling flowers around them; all thoughts of gross kisses between their parents gone from their thoughts.

“Yeah, they say that now, but I’m going to be laughing when they bring home a person that they like and they can’t keep their hands off of them. I’ll be waiting for that day.”

“You’re too conniving for your own good.” (Y/n) remarked playfully as she turned back to her husband and reached up to brush some petals out of his hair. It was down that day, which threw her memories back to that time when she had styled his hair— it felt like it had just happened yesterday.

“So… I asked your boss if you could have two weeks off from work, and he said yes.”

(Y/n)’s eyebrows practically shot up to her hairline with the disbelief that she felt. No one had ever managed to sweet-talk her boss for any kind of vacation. It just wasn’t possible with that woman. “How did you even do that?”

“It appears that we’d met before, and that I still have some charm left in me.” He answered proudly, then grinned as he continued, “You remember when I wrote on an _ema_ the first time that we went here as a couple for the first day of New Year? I recognized her and told her that I was the one that borrowed her pen all those years ago, and I charmed her into agreeing to your vacation.”

“I… have no words. If the boys take after you, the world really better prepare itself for them. But why two weeks? Are we going anywhere?” 

“We, my darling wife, are only going to that country you’ve always wanted to go to— and our parents are going to be taking care of the kids while we’re on our honeymoon.”

“No way.”

“Yes way-” He couldn’t say anything more because he was tackled in a tight hug while his face was peppered with so many kisses that he was sure her red lipstick had colored more than half of his face. He didn’t have any complaints, though— seeing her so happy was more than worth it.

This was him trying to give her the universe and more. It was the least he could do for the only woman he’d ever loved so wholeheartedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how was it? Too much?  
> I actually had to think about rewriting the entire story when I woke up and saw one of my friends' IG stories. He went back to Japan (total _zaibatsu_ family son— he hates it when I call him that) and attended his friend's wedding, but it was Westernized, so I was like "should I do the wedding following Western customs or??????" in the end, I stuck with the original idea. UvU  
>  Anyways, I hope that this roller coaster of a story amused you as much as it did me. And I hope to see you guys in the next one. <3

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews are nice. Veeeeeery nice. <3


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